Another year has flown away on the wings of the wind...

Hello everyone! Wow, where did the time get away to? Since my last post, I have been so busy I don't know whether I am coming or going. I am turning into a snapdragon: part of me has snapped and the other half is "draggin" HO HO Anyway, we had family in from the far-flung corners of the earth (USA) for Thanksgiving. Then, we immediately fell headlong into the holiday rush from which we are now beginning to recover. We had a Christmas banquet, Community caroling with hot chocolate and cookies at the parsonage afterward, and our annual Christmas Candlelight program. Add to that the celebration of Advent for four Sunday mornings in a row, and decorating, and baking, and mailing Christmas cards to people, and, and, and, ...... AAAAIIIIIGGGGHHHH!!

Isn't it amazing how one tiny scrap of humanity born in a smelly, stinky cave in the tiny town of Bethlehem has so impacted our world, that we wildly drive ourselves mad trying to celebrate His birth two thousand years later. This was not God with man, this WAS GOD IN MAN. A small manchild containing God Himself. OH WOW!! Alan and I were talking about it and he said, "Can you imagine how much he had to constrain Himself to even stay inside human flesh. The power of God, so grand and mighty, had to "rein" Himself in else the human body would have literally disintegrated in the face of such an overwhelming, pure, holy presence. O.K. this preacher's kid and preacher's wife is getting excited now! I guess I'll leave the expounding to my husband, but doesn't it fill you with wonder to think of this? We had a great Christmas day and Emily has been enjoying her new little treasures very much.

Timothy is growing very well and has decided to get "colicky" at night so we are learning to wean ourselves from sleep. Otherwise, the little fellow is as good as gold. We do enjoy holding the little guy. Well, enough rambling from the peanut gallery. I hope and pray that whoever reads this has the best year you have ever experienced and that the Christ child of Christmas is the reigning King in your heart and life today!!!! LOVE TO ALL!!!!

Happy Days Are Yet to Come...

Yes! I am disappointed with the outcome of the elections, but NO! I am NOT discouraged. God is STILL God and the affairs of man are ordered by Him at all times. I look at this as an opportunity to catch up on my prayer life :-)
Also, there will be more pics of my little tykes in a few days. We are all feeling better. Timothy is gaining weight. I am losing weight AND sleep. Between those two things I am going to look like a black-eyed crone shortly! HAA!!
Enough rambling. LOL

I'M BACK

Hello everybody! The best laid plans of mice and men can be quickly sent awry when you have a baby on the way in the equation. I took myself to the doctor's appointment on Wednesday, October 8, 2008. My hubby had been out with a parishoner until three a.m. Sweet wife that I am, I decided to let him sleep in. THIS WAS OF COURSE THE DAY that I was placed in the hospital with pre-eclampsia! GREAT! Alan had to have his parents bring him up that night to pick up our van. Doctors, nurses, aides, housekeepers, etc.. kept asking every hour or so, Do you have a headache? NOPE. Until, Friday at noon, one rather roughshod nurse caught me making my own bed and told me to get my hinderparts back in the bed pronto. Then she asked the fateful question, Does your head hurt? I paused just for a second. She bellowed, DON'T YOU LIE TO ME!! I informed her that seeing as I was a pastor's wife and that God was watching me, I would not be participating in that falsehood. Yes, my head was hurting on the right side! In thirty seconds, I lie not, I was surrounded by a surgical team. They said, Call your husband and tell him to get here now! I said, Why the sudden rush? Response: You are on the verge of a stroke! OH YEE HAW! Alan arrived in thirty minutes and they were waiting with surgery scrubs for him to dress. Shortly thereafter, a spinal block was administered (did I mention it didn't work?) and the C-section started. I started yelling that I could feel everything and they gave me "hiccapoo joy juice" that sent me on such a wild hallucination that I was very glad that I am not a drug addict. I couldn't handle the excitement or the weirdness! I am told that I was telling everybody in sight that I loved them very much! Timothy Alan was born 18 1/2 inches long and 5 lbs 13 oz. Because he was so early, we were told that he might have to be on a respirator and stay in NICU. However, before he could even be transferred to the NICU team, he started crying very loudly and healthily! I cried from relief. He was alright!

Now, we are starting to recover. I did have a bit of a fright when my incision decided to split -- literally, about two inches down! It is going to be around three to four weeks before it is healed, but I am feeling great. We are so happy and I am already 30 lbs lighter!

As you can see, Timothy Alan had other ideas about being born on November 10th! Try OCTOBER 10th, 1:59pm!
Here are some shots done by my Pro-Photographer Sweetie-pie Hubby!

Not happy about the 1st Bath!

AWWW! AIN'T HE CUTE!

More of "THE BATH"

Sleeping, sleeping, sleeping....

Lady in Waiting!!

Hello everyone! My favorite hymn right now is "He is able to deliver thee!" I am six weeks away from "D"elivery Day! November 10, 7 am is the scheduled arrival of our sweet little Tom Tumble. He is so active and really growing right now. I am beginning to look like a barge and feel like a bloated whale. But, I can do this, somehow in these days.

For those of you who heard about the Hurricane winds that hit our area, Yep! We lost power on Sunday and did not get it back until around 10 pm Tuesday night. I was not a good pioneer at all.Alan has Amish roots in his background and enjoyed everything immensely. But for me, I was a failing student in this Amish 101 crash course. Thank the Lord it only lasted that long. That was two weeks ago tonight, and we learned that some people just a very few miles from us are only getting their electric back today!! So, it could have been much worse.

I am gearing up for fall decorating and doing some fall housecleaning. I am always excited about this time of the year. Plus the pending arrival of our little guy is making it more exciting than usual!

I am falling in love with Fall early this year

So -- allow me a little indulgence on the choice of fall colors for this writing. I absolutely LOVE autumn and all of the adorable decorations that go with this time of year. Yes! I am jumping the gun a little as they say down South in my native land, :-) but I cannot help it here.
I am counting the days until October 1st, so I can haul out my annual plethora of fall decorations and design to my heart's content!!
Better yet, I am REALLY EXCITED about November 10, 2008, 7:30 am when our little man is scheduled to make his appearance into this world via C-section delivery. With the bulge that I am sporting now and the lack of oxygen I am experiencing from my "extra" load, I am really looking forward to that first deep breath in several months. Holding my little angel from Heaven will be great too!!
Nothing spectacular happening here, but I am looking forward to all of the fun that will come with autumn and the holiday season.

Promised Pictures

Beautiful Pittsburgh, PA taken from overlook above the city. We had a great time shooting the scenery!






Our "archeaological" dig site for VBS at our church! When everything was over, Emily requested to keep the large black dinosaur head. She said, "I want to hang it on the wall in my bedroom!!"




Emily in complete "DIRT" mode after a hard afternoon of play with other little children at Heartland Bible Methodist Youth Camp!






Crowds clearing out of the tabernacle for another round of team activities in the ultra warm afternoon weather!!

Hello from a weary, but happy woman

So, Hi Everybody!
Yeah, Yeah, I know you have not seen anything of me for a while. With the exception of my protruding belly, I haven't seen much of me lately either! HA!
Here is a rundown of the last 18 days of my life:
DAY 1: Get up at 4 am to take two young teens from our church to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Get home from moving them in at 12:30 am the next morning
DAY 2: Take teenagers clothes shopping for youth camp.
DAY 3: Make fliers, go calling to invite kids to VBS
DAY 4: CHURCH 2 times, go out to invite kids to VBS during the afternoon.
DAYS 5-9: VBS every evening; preparing snacks and stories during the day
DAY 10: Sunday School Picnic for entire church.
DAY 11: CHURCH DAY; try to Pack to leave for Youth Camp next morning!
DAYS 12-16:HEARTLAND BIBLE METHODIST YOUTH CAMP (I'm not 15 anymore, I realize on about Day 2 of this Youth Camp!!)
DAY 17: Unpack, go calling, clean church, clean up mess from discovering that while we were gone the breaker blew out on the outlet for our refrigerator!! WOOHOO!
DAY 18: CHURCH TWO TIMES
PHEW!! Anybody want to trade places with this waddling pastor's wife who is so tired I do not know straight up from sideways right now?
P.S. According to ultrasound pictures, our little tyke-to-be is a boy!! HOORAY! Little Junior is due in November and this is one time I will be glad to see falling leaves, feel chilly air, and face another winter. I am ready to get this phase over and cuddle my little guy in my arms. Hopefully, there will be some pictures in a few days, once I catch my breath.
Oh, and for those who really care to hear it, on my first day off in 18 days, I got hit with a kidney stone the size of Mt. Everest (at least it feels like it)! I'd rather go through labor anyday! But, yippee, I am home and happy to be still for a while. Love to all. Later.....