I think these videos speak for themselves. Praise God for giving this woman life - so she can speak out for those that are never given the chance. It's kinda long, but well worth watching if you have the time.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Balian's Birthday Bash
We celebrated Balian's birthday last weekend. We had over 30 people at our house...which was pretty crazy. Definitely a full house! So much fun!! Glad I made a lot of food :)
Kiddos playing outside
...and making mud balls...
...and throwing them at each other... this wasn't even the worst. some were totally covered, so we sprayed everybody down with the water hose before going inside :)
Balian in his new chair. He loved his sister's so much we decided to get him his own.
Opening gifts...he liked the tissue paper.
Checkin' out the goods...
The cake. nothing fancy this year...maybe next year.
Now For some Cake: Here, he wasn't sure what to think about everybody singing...
...but he apparently likes the cupcake. I actually had to keep him from putting his hand in the fire! Ha!
Checking out the flavor...
Yes, I think he approves.
What?
Playing with it...
And my favorite...Look how messy I am, Mommy!!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Happy Birthday, Balian!!
I can't believe that it's been a year today since our little boy was born!
In some respects, it feels as if he's been around forever. I can't imagine life without him around. He brings such a joy to our family - and smiles to our faces!
In other respects it feels as if time has taken off right before our eyes!! A year already?
Happy Birthday, my Little Man! I can't wait for the many more ahead that we get to share!
In some respects, it feels as if he's been around forever. I can't imagine life without him around. He brings such a joy to our family - and smiles to our faces!
In other respects it feels as if time has taken off right before our eyes!! A year already?
Happy Birthday, my Little Man! I can't wait for the many more ahead that we get to share!
BSF
The kids and I are starting BSF this year, and today was the first day. Not sure what that is? It's Bible Study Fellowship. It's an international, interdenominational, in-depth Bible Study.
International: Everyone who is a part of BSF is studying the very same thing - so someone doing BSF in England or Australia, or some other country...or even someone in California or Maine...we're all studying the same thing.
In-depth: they use a fourfold approach to studying God's Word.
1. Daily questions for personal study
2. Discussion Groups
3. Lectures
4. Printed Notes
so, I'll do my homework to get into God's Word, with just me and my Bible, 6 days of the week. Then, I'll come together with other women and discuss what we learned, then listen to a lecture about how to further apply it, and we are sent home with notes to study even further. They ask for you not to use commentary or other resources until the fourfold approach on a given week has been completed.
This year, the study is on the book of Isaiah. I am totally excited about this! So many times I have tried to read Isaiah and either totally get lost and don't understand a lick of it, or I see tremendous significance, but want to understand it more fully. I'm excited at the possibility of understanding (at least part of) this very important book of the Bible!
I'm even more excited about the fact that my kids are going to be learning right along with me - at their level. I'm excited to see them learn and grow through their time in BSF and also through the devotionals that we do together at home, as their "homework."
But don't think I'm some super-awesome Bible Study queen. I've honestly been pretty inconsistant with getting into my Word since having Balian, really. I've had times of fall-on-my-face desperation with him - I've spoken to Him throughout the day, but I haven't allowed God to speak to ME. And one-way communication is not a relationship. I'm definitely not proud of that fact, and I've been really challenged about it as well. I mean seriously...If I believe that God's Word is real - and I claim to have a relationship with Him - I shouldn't need "motivation" to get into his Word or spend time with him. If I say He's my first priority, then He should be my first thought...and I should be unsettled and have an attitude of anticipation until I spend time alone with Him. So I've been trying to get back into the habit of devotion and finding my Lord in the midst of solitude - which is a lot harder than it seems.
anyway - excited about what's ahead!
International: Everyone who is a part of BSF is studying the very same thing - so someone doing BSF in England or Australia, or some other country...or even someone in California or Maine...we're all studying the same thing.
In-depth: they use a fourfold approach to studying God's Word.
1. Daily questions for personal study
2. Discussion Groups
3. Lectures
4. Printed Notes
so, I'll do my homework to get into God's Word, with just me and my Bible, 6 days of the week. Then, I'll come together with other women and discuss what we learned, then listen to a lecture about how to further apply it, and we are sent home with notes to study even further. They ask for you not to use commentary or other resources until the fourfold approach on a given week has been completed.
This year, the study is on the book of Isaiah. I am totally excited about this! So many times I have tried to read Isaiah and either totally get lost and don't understand a lick of it, or I see tremendous significance, but want to understand it more fully. I'm excited at the possibility of understanding (at least part of) this very important book of the Bible!
I'm even more excited about the fact that my kids are going to be learning right along with me - at their level. I'm excited to see them learn and grow through their time in BSF and also through the devotionals that we do together at home, as their "homework."
But don't think I'm some super-awesome Bible Study queen. I've honestly been pretty inconsistant with getting into my Word since having Balian, really. I've had times of fall-on-my-face desperation with him - I've spoken to Him throughout the day, but I haven't allowed God to speak to ME. And one-way communication is not a relationship. I'm definitely not proud of that fact, and I've been really challenged about it as well. I mean seriously...If I believe that God's Word is real - and I claim to have a relationship with Him - I shouldn't need "motivation" to get into his Word or spend time with him. If I say He's my first priority, then He should be my first thought...and I should be unsettled and have an attitude of anticipation until I spend time alone with Him. So I've been trying to get back into the habit of devotion and finding my Lord in the midst of solitude - which is a lot harder than it seems.
anyway - excited about what's ahead!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Bella's Prayers
Twice this week my daughter has amazed me.
A couple days ago, I was sitting next to Bella at her "little table". I had a headache, and was holding my head in my hands.
Bella said "Mommy, does your head still hurt?"
"Yes," I reply.
"Do you want me to pray for you?" she asks.
"Sure" I say, not knowing what to expect.
she starts praying: "Thank you God for mommy's head. I pray that it wouldn't hurt and that it wouldn't be bad. In Jesus' name, Amen."
...and it felt better about an hour later. no medicine involved.
yesterday, I woke up with my left arm throbbing from my shoulder down to the tips of my fingers. I told Bella that it hurt, and I asked her to pray for me.
"ok, mommy, close your eyes!" she says.
"ok, Bella." And I did.
She prays, "Thank you God for mommy's arm feeling better. I pray that it wouldn't be bad anymore. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen."
again...about an hour later...it was better without the help of medicine.
What amazes me about the first prayer is that she initiated everything about it. She asked to pray for me, and she did. Sometimes it's difficult to get her to pray before dinner or bed, but by golly, she'll pray when you really need her to!
What amazes me about the second prayer is her words!! She prayed EXPECTING God to make my arm better. "Thank you, God for mommy's arm feeling better..." She was thanking Him for doing something that he hadn't done yet - expecting Him to do what she was asking. That's pretty amazing for a 3-yr. old...especially since I wonder if I have really been much of an example of that...
we may have a prayer warrior in our midst!
A couple days ago, I was sitting next to Bella at her "little table". I had a headache, and was holding my head in my hands.
Bella said "Mommy, does your head still hurt?"
"Yes," I reply.
"Do you want me to pray for you?" she asks.
"Sure" I say, not knowing what to expect.
she starts praying: "Thank you God for mommy's head. I pray that it wouldn't hurt and that it wouldn't be bad. In Jesus' name, Amen."
...and it felt better about an hour later. no medicine involved.
yesterday, I woke up with my left arm throbbing from my shoulder down to the tips of my fingers. I told Bella that it hurt, and I asked her to pray for me.
"ok, mommy, close your eyes!" she says.
"ok, Bella." And I did.
She prays, "Thank you God for mommy's arm feeling better. I pray that it wouldn't be bad anymore. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen."
again...about an hour later...it was better without the help of medicine.
What amazes me about the first prayer is that she initiated everything about it. She asked to pray for me, and she did. Sometimes it's difficult to get her to pray before dinner or bed, but by golly, she'll pray when you really need her to!
What amazes me about the second prayer is her words!! She prayed EXPECTING God to make my arm better. "Thank you, God for mommy's arm feeling better..." She was thanking Him for doing something that he hadn't done yet - expecting Him to do what she was asking. That's pretty amazing for a 3-yr. old...especially since I wonder if I have really been much of an example of that...
we may have a prayer warrior in our midst!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Midwives
Last time was home-schooling. Now we're on to home-birthing.... ha.
So I started going to an OB at the beginning of this pregnancy. Got a great recommendation from a friend. Did the lab work, had my first ultrasound...the whole bit. Neil went with me to the ultrasound/appointment, and after the appointment, he was like "She seems like a great doctor, but she just talks so fast, and I just don't think I got any questions answered that I expected to have answered today...I just felt really rushed."
Neil hasn't really been to a lot of OB appointments in the past...and I kinda got used to how they went, and didn't' really have super-high expectations. No biggy. He seemed kinda bothered by it though. He also was like "the hospital she delivers at is 45 minutes away? umm...Pam, I really don't want to deliver a baby on the side of the road. I would have no idea what to do."
so, I told Neil that I would try to get some recommendations for some doctors in town that delivered at the hospital that's only 15 minutes away.
I got some recommendations, and I was planning on calling and making some consultations.
Then, I was talking to a girl at church, who was due to birth baby #2 in just a couple of weeks. She mentioned in the course of that conversation that she was planning on having a home birth. This was only the second time I had met someone who had done a home birth (the last one being a week before having Balian), but for some reason this time it just kinda caught me off-guard and really made me think...
I have never even considered planning a home birth. I always said "oh, I could NEVER have a home birth...way too scary."
But somehow, I found myself waking up that night, thinking about the possibility of that very thing.
Neil was in Korea at the time for his reserves 2-week training/deployment and he called me the next night. I just mentioned to him the conversation I had with the lady at church, and at the word home birth, he immediately said "YES! I want to know everything there is to know about having a home birth." I was totally in shock. apparently Neil had been thinking about home birth for a while, but was just waiting until I warmed up to the idea. ha! never would have guessed that one!
So...I started my research. Being the research-loving person that I am...I did a LOT of research! And I'm still researching!
It's amazing how much information you can find on this stuff. There's been documentaries done "The Business of Being Born" and "Orgasmic Birth" (which they probably just titled that way to get people to watch it...) and there's all kinds of research that has been done about how our country compares to other developed nations as far as c-section rates, infant and maternal mortality rates, and how that all has to do with OBs and hospitals vs. midwives and non-hospital births (birthing centers and home births). The more I read about the model of midwifery care, the more comfortable I felt with the idea...and not only that, but I also started to really LIKE the idea...and started getting excited about it. what?
I called two different midwives to set up consultations. That in itself was amazing. The midwives themselves answered the phone, set up the consultations, asked me some questions, and asked if I had any questions. I was probably on the phone with each midwife for anywhere from 15-20 minutes...and all of my questions at that point (do I even qualify for a home birth? what about precipitous labor? what about GBS? do you do stitches? how do you handle the possibility of hemorrhaging?, etc.) were totally answered by the time I was off the phone. Not only that, but each midwife explained that they would take me on a tour of the birthing center, and afterward we would have question and answer time to get to know each other better...and that this would probably take about an hour or so.
seriously? you're going to take an hour to answer all of my questions and show me how you're going to take care of me? You mean I'm not going to be waiting for an hour, and then getting about 5 minutes with you where I feel rushed and unsure about if I have any questions?
well, after my two consultation appointments with two different midwives, Neil and I are SOLD with the amazing level of individual care - and of course, the more wholistic approach to pregnancy and childbirth in general.
What? I don't have to be strapped to a bed with IVs and monitors? I can move around as much as I want, get in the bathtub if I want, have a water-birth if I so desire, eat and drink during labor, and have a home-cooked meal and an herbal bath with my baby after it's all said and done? I can breastfeed ASAP and have breastfeeding support at my fingertips as well as more post-partum care that includes baby care as well? (2 days, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, more in there if needed...some even do up to 12 weeks).
Anyway, we're super-excited. Now, we just have to decide WHO to use. And considering how great both options are, it may be a pretty difficult decision. we'll see!
So I started going to an OB at the beginning of this pregnancy. Got a great recommendation from a friend. Did the lab work, had my first ultrasound...the whole bit. Neil went with me to the ultrasound/appointment, and after the appointment, he was like "She seems like a great doctor, but she just talks so fast, and I just don't think I got any questions answered that I expected to have answered today...I just felt really rushed."
Neil hasn't really been to a lot of OB appointments in the past...and I kinda got used to how they went, and didn't' really have super-high expectations. No biggy. He seemed kinda bothered by it though. He also was like "the hospital she delivers at is 45 minutes away? umm...Pam, I really don't want to deliver a baby on the side of the road. I would have no idea what to do."
so, I told Neil that I would try to get some recommendations for some doctors in town that delivered at the hospital that's only 15 minutes away.
I got some recommendations, and I was planning on calling and making some consultations.
Then, I was talking to a girl at church, who was due to birth baby #2 in just a couple of weeks. She mentioned in the course of that conversation that she was planning on having a home birth. This was only the second time I had met someone who had done a home birth (the last one being a week before having Balian), but for some reason this time it just kinda caught me off-guard and really made me think...
I have never even considered planning a home birth. I always said "oh, I could NEVER have a home birth...way too scary."
But somehow, I found myself waking up that night, thinking about the possibility of that very thing.
Neil was in Korea at the time for his reserves 2-week training/deployment and he called me the next night. I just mentioned to him the conversation I had with the lady at church, and at the word home birth, he immediately said "YES! I want to know everything there is to know about having a home birth." I was totally in shock. apparently Neil had been thinking about home birth for a while, but was just waiting until I warmed up to the idea. ha! never would have guessed that one!
So...I started my research. Being the research-loving person that I am...I did a LOT of research! And I'm still researching!
It's amazing how much information you can find on this stuff. There's been documentaries done "The Business of Being Born" and "Orgasmic Birth" (which they probably just titled that way to get people to watch it...) and there's all kinds of research that has been done about how our country compares to other developed nations as far as c-section rates, infant and maternal mortality rates, and how that all has to do with OBs and hospitals vs. midwives and non-hospital births (birthing centers and home births). The more I read about the model of midwifery care, the more comfortable I felt with the idea...and not only that, but I also started to really LIKE the idea...and started getting excited about it. what?
I called two different midwives to set up consultations. That in itself was amazing. The midwives themselves answered the phone, set up the consultations, asked me some questions, and asked if I had any questions. I was probably on the phone with each midwife for anywhere from 15-20 minutes...and all of my questions at that point (do I even qualify for a home birth? what about precipitous labor? what about GBS? do you do stitches? how do you handle the possibility of hemorrhaging?, etc.) were totally answered by the time I was off the phone. Not only that, but each midwife explained that they would take me on a tour of the birthing center, and afterward we would have question and answer time to get to know each other better...and that this would probably take about an hour or so.
seriously? you're going to take an hour to answer all of my questions and show me how you're going to take care of me? You mean I'm not going to be waiting for an hour, and then getting about 5 minutes with you where I feel rushed and unsure about if I have any questions?
well, after my two consultation appointments with two different midwives, Neil and I are SOLD with the amazing level of individual care - and of course, the more wholistic approach to pregnancy and childbirth in general.
What? I don't have to be strapped to a bed with IVs and monitors? I can move around as much as I want, get in the bathtub if I want, have a water-birth if I so desire, eat and drink during labor, and have a home-cooked meal and an herbal bath with my baby after it's all said and done? I can breastfeed ASAP and have breastfeeding support at my fingertips as well as more post-partum care that includes baby care as well? (2 days, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, more in there if needed...some even do up to 12 weeks).
Anyway, we're super-excited. Now, we just have to decide WHO to use. And considering how great both options are, it may be a pretty difficult decision. we'll see!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Homeschool??
We've talked about it. we've thought of alternatives. we've shared concerns. Now it's time to take action.
Our homeschooling talks started before we were even married. We lived up in Saratoga Springs (Neil) and Ballston Spa (Pam), NY for 6 months during some of Neil's training for the Navy (Prototype). We were fortunate enough to find an incredible church family, and oddly enough, that church family was loaded with homeschooling families... 1 family had 3 kids, and 2 other families had 5 kids.
However, none of these kids fit the "home schooled kid" profile that I had always been told about, and seen. You know, the kid that has absolutely no social skills, and is more excited about picking his nose than interacting with people...the outcast kid at church...and the one who just doesn't seem to "get it?"
These kids weren't like that at all! They were polite, courteous, interactive with both adults and other children of ALL ages - their own peer group, older, and younger. They had an incredible understanding about the realities of life, and the realities about who God is. Other kids liked them! The only thing they were lacking was the irresponsibility, obscenity, and perverseness that is so common these days with kids of ALL ages.
I remember Neil and I looking at each other and saying "Those kids are home schooled?"
As time went on, we met more and more people that had gone through some kind of home school curriculum, and were just as social, if not more so, than people who were not. And they were incredibly intelligent.
Bella has always been bright. I've never really had a plan with her, other than to just challenge her as she's ready for it. That was my potty-training technique, and that's how I've been with her with everything else as well. When she was 10 months old, we were looking at an animal book together, and, as always, I was going over the same animals and the same sounds that we always did, only this time she pointed to the dog and started panting (a sound she could make at that age). From there, we did all kinds of animal sounds, and just kept going...shapes, colors, letters, etc. Whenever she learned one thing, I'd make it a bit more difficult to challenge her. Always repeating everything over and over and over again...
Anyway, there came a point about a year ago that I started thinking about school for her. I started school when I was 2 ( a mother's day out sort of thing), so it wasn't weird to me to think about it. With Balian coming, I thought it might be good. Then I started thinking...
Bella does so well working at her own pace. She's really bright. She learns so quickly. I started worrying about her being bored, and then hating school. Then again, there was the social aspect of it...I feel like for the past year, I've been torn.
Once we moved here, to Granbury, and I was dealing with so many things at once (moving, newborn, PPD, making friends, starting out at a new church) Bella's behavior started to become pretty bad. I know a lot of it was all the changes that she went through. Not just the moving, but mommy being different. We were at home A LOT more than we were before Balian was born...(I still don't think we're really back to our "out and about-ness" that we had before. ) I think a lot of her misbehavior has had to do with down-right boredom. And I, after taking a long break from all the challenging and teaching with Bella, didn't really know where to start as far as how to give some structure to our days and teach her at her level. I would try to teach her something, but I'd get frustrated when she didn't "get it". I was teaching over her head. I was totally lost. and frustrated. I think I just kinda gave up.
For months, we've been butting heads, and I've been like "There's no way I can home school this girl - I'll go crazy! Can we just put her in school this year?"
Then the light turned on. I need help!
A friend of mine told me about a curriculum that she had been looking at called Hands on Homeschooling. Essentially, the mom who made it was a former preschool teacher that decided that she needed to add some structure to days at home with her first child, who was 2 at the time.
Seriously, this may be the best breath of fresh air I've seen in a while! The curriculum is not only bible-based, it's like school and Sunday school combined in a really practical, FUN package, that only takes up about an hour a day for "teaching". Recipes, activities, field trips, Bible stories and memory verses for every week, worksheets (like for tracing letters and numbers) etc. are all put together in a nice, neat little package. Oh, and the best thing about it is that preschool isn't this one big chunk called 2-5 years. Each age has a totally separate curriculum. So the 3-yr. old curriculum is very specifically age/developmentally- based for 3 yr.-olds.
I think this is fabulous.
Where do I sign up?
Well, now I know where. I just have to do it.
My only dilemma is that we don't have an extra room to set aside for school. I know that isn't necessary, but it seems like it would help with focus. We'll figure it all out in time...
If any of you home school and you have some suggestions/ resources, PLEASE let me know! I'm new at this, and I'm learning as I go...heck, I haven't even started yet! And by-golly, I need help!
Our homeschooling talks started before we were even married. We lived up in Saratoga Springs (Neil) and Ballston Spa (Pam), NY for 6 months during some of Neil's training for the Navy (Prototype). We were fortunate enough to find an incredible church family, and oddly enough, that church family was loaded with homeschooling families... 1 family had 3 kids, and 2 other families had 5 kids.
However, none of these kids fit the "home schooled kid" profile that I had always been told about, and seen. You know, the kid that has absolutely no social skills, and is more excited about picking his nose than interacting with people...the outcast kid at church...and the one who just doesn't seem to "get it?"
These kids weren't like that at all! They were polite, courteous, interactive with both adults and other children of ALL ages - their own peer group, older, and younger. They had an incredible understanding about the realities of life, and the realities about who God is. Other kids liked them! The only thing they were lacking was the irresponsibility, obscenity, and perverseness that is so common these days with kids of ALL ages.
I remember Neil and I looking at each other and saying "Those kids are home schooled?"
As time went on, we met more and more people that had gone through some kind of home school curriculum, and were just as social, if not more so, than people who were not. And they were incredibly intelligent.
Bella has always been bright. I've never really had a plan with her, other than to just challenge her as she's ready for it. That was my potty-training technique, and that's how I've been with her with everything else as well. When she was 10 months old, we were looking at an animal book together, and, as always, I was going over the same animals and the same sounds that we always did, only this time she pointed to the dog and started panting (a sound she could make at that age). From there, we did all kinds of animal sounds, and just kept going...shapes, colors, letters, etc. Whenever she learned one thing, I'd make it a bit more difficult to challenge her. Always repeating everything over and over and over again...
Anyway, there came a point about a year ago that I started thinking about school for her. I started school when I was 2 ( a mother's day out sort of thing), so it wasn't weird to me to think about it. With Balian coming, I thought it might be good. Then I started thinking...
Bella does so well working at her own pace. She's really bright. She learns so quickly. I started worrying about her being bored, and then hating school. Then again, there was the social aspect of it...I feel like for the past year, I've been torn.
Once we moved here, to Granbury, and I was dealing with so many things at once (moving, newborn, PPD, making friends, starting out at a new church) Bella's behavior started to become pretty bad. I know a lot of it was all the changes that she went through. Not just the moving, but mommy being different. We were at home A LOT more than we were before Balian was born...(I still don't think we're really back to our "out and about-ness" that we had before. ) I think a lot of her misbehavior has had to do with down-right boredom. And I, after taking a long break from all the challenging and teaching with Bella, didn't really know where to start as far as how to give some structure to our days and teach her at her level. I would try to teach her something, but I'd get frustrated when she didn't "get it". I was teaching over her head. I was totally lost. and frustrated. I think I just kinda gave up.
For months, we've been butting heads, and I've been like "There's no way I can home school this girl - I'll go crazy! Can we just put her in school this year?"
Then the light turned on. I need help!
A friend of mine told me about a curriculum that she had been looking at called Hands on Homeschooling. Essentially, the mom who made it was a former preschool teacher that decided that she needed to add some structure to days at home with her first child, who was 2 at the time.
Seriously, this may be the best breath of fresh air I've seen in a while! The curriculum is not only bible-based, it's like school and Sunday school combined in a really practical, FUN package, that only takes up about an hour a day for "teaching". Recipes, activities, field trips, Bible stories and memory verses for every week, worksheets (like for tracing letters and numbers) etc. are all put together in a nice, neat little package. Oh, and the best thing about it is that preschool isn't this one big chunk called 2-5 years. Each age has a totally separate curriculum. So the 3-yr. old curriculum is very specifically age/developmentally- based for 3 yr.-olds.
I think this is fabulous.
Where do I sign up?
Well, now I know where. I just have to do it.
My only dilemma is that we don't have an extra room to set aside for school. I know that isn't necessary, but it seems like it would help with focus. We'll figure it all out in time...
If any of you home school and you have some suggestions/ resources, PLEASE let me know! I'm new at this, and I'm learning as I go...heck, I haven't even started yet! And by-golly, I need help!
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