a delicious cupcake

I finally loaded some pictures off the camera onto my laptop and thought I'd post a few from our baby lives these days!

we found out the gender, and decided to have a "reveal party" for our parents & siblings (we are keeping the gender a secret from everyone else as of right now!)

I found this idea on pinterest - I bought mason jars that are all the same size, then I punched a hole thru the lid to put a straw through. I used removeable labels to mark all the jars and then we used them outside for lemonade - kept the bugs out, and if the jar tips over it doesn't spill very easily!

I found the idea on pinterest to do these cute gender reveal cupcakes. i baked them in these silicone heart cupcake liners that my mom gave me, cored them, and filled them with a colored filling (either pink or blue), topped the filling with a bit of cake, then iced them with chocolate icing, sprinkled them with both pink & blue sprinkles and then iced on a white question mark. Pretty cute if I do say so myself (also, how cute is my little cupcake stand? I painted it at brushfire pottery this past winter)

 When you bite into the cupcake you discover the colored filling and then know if it's a boy or girl baby! We made our families wait till after we ate a bbq meal, and then I handed out the cupcakes and counted to 3, they all bit into the cupcake at the same time, and found out! Some people took little bites, but others took a big mouthful and then couldn't really talk or yell! everyone had their own approach :)

 All ready for the party!

 I asked my Mom to bring watermelon and/or other fruit, and she made this cute little watermelon basinett to hold a canteloup baby! too funny!

 Then I showed the nursery off (yes, I know I have 4 months to go.. but I'm already fairly deep into my nesting phase. the nursery is mostly done, and michael & i both spend time just sitting in there, letting the reality of us having a baby sink in!)

I found this whale weather vane thing at the antique store in Johnston's terminal, and my sister Phoebe bought it for me for my birthday this year! Both colors I had picked out (for a boys nursery or a girls nursery) had to match the whale!

 This is my cute change table, with some new baskets and some gifts bags from family member's gifts! My in-laws found this change table on someone's yard, to be given away for free, so they loaded it up and took it home. Dad T reinforced it so that it is super sturdy, and then gave it a good washing. It was already white, which is exactly what I wanted. I bought some drawer handles at ikea, I wanted clear ones because I thought they'd look so cute on a white change table. I already had the change mattress from my friend Lisa since her kids are definitely no longer in diapers!

 I got this figurine from my parents - called "Home: Together our family is home." I love it!

 A few little stuffies for our baby to snuggle one day!

That's all the pictures for now, we also have a beautiful crib set up in the nursery, but right now it's full of clothes! Now to wait till November!

where the Spirit of the Lord is...

I was thinking of alternate titles for this post, and the other one that seemed to fit best was: freedom, my grandma & my pregnancy... so that will be my other working title :)

I am officially in the middle of my 5th month of pregnancy, on Thursday I will officially be 21 weeks. We have had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound, which was amazing (and I am fortunate enough to get a second one next week - the baby wouldn't cooperate & give us some good pictures of their heart, so we had a second ultrasound scheduled 2 weeks later in hopes that this baby will move from it's current breech position). We have set up the nursery, gender specific. We have had a "gender reveal" party to those we are telling (our parents & siblings only). I have felt the baby move, my cats have a weird 6th sense that they know I'm pregnant (I'm convinced of this, and reading things on the internet confirms that other cats are acting the exact same way mine are to their pregnant owners). We are practicing calling the baby by it's potential name and we are spending time talking about the baby and praying for this baby.

so, the connection to the second title of my blog post is because of this. My pregnancy has made me miss my grandma so much more. I am feeling the loss of not being able to tell her I'm pregnant and to have her call me to get updates. I am feeling the sadness of knowing my baby will never be held by their omi, who had the world's perfect legs for baby holding, since they were so long! Everett used to lay out completely on grandma's legs. If I did that.. the baby's head would be hanging off the end of my legs! I miss so much about my grandma.

Today I was caught up in a bittersweet memory of an experience that only I had. When my grandma was sick, very sick at the end especially, I used to bring my guitar either to the hospital or to her condo, and sit and play for her & sing while she either slept or just listened. I only really sang worship songs and hymns, and at certain parts, grandma would say "yes" or just nod along and smile. today at my piano I sat down & flipped to a random spot in my song binder and came across this one that swept me back into this memory

Freedom:


where the Spirit of the Lord is... there is freedom
where the Spirit of the Lord is... there is freedom
lift your eyes to heaven... there is freedom
lift your eyes to heaven... there is freedom


freedom reigns in this place
showers of mercy and grace
falling on every face... there is freedom
Jesus reigns in this place
showers his mercy and grace
falling on every face... there is freedom


if you're tired & thirsty... there is freedom
if you're tired & thirsty... there is freedom
give your all to Jesus... there is freedom
give your all to Jesus... there is freedom

I remember sitting on the chair beside my grandma's hospital bed and singing this song. I remember her with her eyes closed and saying "yes" many times in this song. I remember her praying, thanking God for another day of grace and for his freedom. I remember her lifting her eyes to heaven and longing for more of Jesus. I remember how she lived in his freedom and exhibited his grace and love. I remember her and I so badly wish that one day my baby could learn these things from watching grandma.

I am thankful for these memories, and for the example of my grandma. I am also thankful for this freedom, these showers of mercy and grace that are falling...

falling on every face, there is freedom.

my one and only

I'm not sure if this is the case for everyone, but I have found that one of the most wonderful things about being pregnant is that it has made Michael & I closer than ever!

We had friends of ours over the other day and they asked us if we would call each other our best friend, and of course we easily said YES! They felt the same way about one another, and it was fun to be able to talk about the fact that we weren't just married couples, but we were couples who were best friends and wanted to be with no one else as much as with our spouse. I know that is not the case for every married couple, and so we have just been really grateful for this lately.

Over the last few months, there have been many times where we have just stopped what we are doing or talking about to say, Hey I just really love you!! It's a fun thing to practice doing, making a point to tell your spouse when you think of them, and think about how special they are to you!

This weekend is Father's Day, and although I realize that some people wouldn't celebrate mother's day & father's when they are pregnant, because the baby isn't "here".. that isn't how we roll. The day we found out we were pregnant was the day we officially became parents. So Michael celebrated me on Mother's day, and I intend to celebrate him on Father's day.

When Michael and I were dating he used to write me an email every morning, and also would write me notes during school. So, for Mother's day he wrote me a letter and it was the best gift!! I have read it over many times since then. Telling me why he thought I'd be a great mom, why he loves me, and how much he loves our baby already. It was thoughtful and personal, and made my day. (On a side note.. a very exciting side note, the reality of me being a mom sunk in big time yesterday - I felt my baby move for the first time. Made my heart beat way too fast. I felt it again today, and it is pure magic!!)

Today on the radio I heard one of my favorite songs, a dave matthews song. Michael and I love Dave Matthews. It made me smile to hear it, because it's how I feel about my guy, my one and only. And now that we are parents, the line about teaching our kids to fly just makes me smile, ear to ear. Give it a listen, it's bound to make you smile. Oh, and go tell your man you love him!

You and Me - Dave Matthews
Wanna pack your bags, 
Something small 
Take what you need and we disappear 
Without a trace we'll be gone, gone 
The moon and the stars can follow the car 
and then when we get to the ocean 
We gonna take a boat to the end of the world  
All the way to the end of the world
 
Oh, and when the kids are old enough 
We're gonna teach them to fly
You and me together, 
we could do anything, Baby 
You and me together 
yes, yes
 
You and I, we're not tied to the ground 
Not falling but rising like rolling around 
Eyes closed above the rooftops 
Eyes closed, we're gonna spin through the stars 
Our arms wide as the sky 
We gonna ride the blue all the way to the end of the world 
To the end of the world 
 
We can always look back at what we did 
All these memories of you and me baby 
But right now it's you and me forever girl 
And you know we could do better than anything that we did 
You know that you and me, we could do anything

a few words

what a whirlwind of a week since last week Thursday.

Last thursday at 5:30pm I left Winnipeg with both of my mom's and my sister Phoebe for a 14 hour, thru the night, road trip to Calgary. Let me tell you, doing that.. is not a GREAT idea if you are pregnant. I felt like I had to go to the bathroom almost immediately after a bathroom stop, so on the way home I deprived myself of water which resulted in a severely dizzy and nauseated self. Live and learn. So the drive wasn't the best thing in the world BUT the company was great, and the purpose for the trip - a Beth Moore Living Proof Live conference - was well worth it. I still have to sit with my notes purposefully and really digest the things that she was talking about.

Beth Moore made a couple of points that really resonated with me (well more than a couple) but two that have stood out more in my mind without purposefully going back to my notes to think on it. The first is about when God gives us a "word" - basically when you're at church, or reading your bible or in conversation and all of a sudden you have an "aha!" moment of sorts where you think to yourself, "wow God, that was said just for me." Have you ever had a Sunday morning where the Pastor's sermon seems so perfectly catered to you and where you're at that you almost feel like saying "ok, everyone can go home because this sermon is obviously for ME!"? Well that is what she meant by a "word". Anyway, she talked about how if we don't guard that word, and make an effort to really let it plant itself deeper in our hearts and minds, that the bird of prey is just waiting to devour it. And before you know it, the bird of prey will sweep down and snatch up your word before you even realize it, or think twice about it. And then it's gone. So from that.. the importance of guarding the things God gives us. More digesting of that will happen, but I wanted to put it out there that it resonated with me before the bird of prey even stole that little aha!

The second one was the reality of Satan and his power. She talked about the fact that Satan's goal in this world is to try and copy everything that God is doing. In Genesis (and other times in the bible) it talks about God walking the earth. Later in the bible (job 1:7) it says this: ⁷ “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.
Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on." 
Satan is also walking the earth. He tries to replicate what God does and deceive us. Beth talked about how in the Bible Satan is described as a roaring lion looking to devour. So often I think we forget the fact that Satan has power. Of course he is no where near as powerful as God, but he is powerful. And he is crafty. And he is working over time. Beth talked about how Satan is constantly working to be right in our face, right in our way. The reality of his menacing presence was made more aware to me when she said "He is so close, you can feel his mane on your neck, feel his breath on your face, hear his growl in your ear." But even better than that, the reality of God's supreme power was made even more aware to me when Beth talked about us taking our ground back, giving God the glory and power, and the fact that when we do that, when we acknowledge God's supremity in our lives - Satan is forced to watch. He has no choice but to see us throw it back in his face. He may be strong, but in the end, he is not victorious. How awesome is that??


So yes, there is a lot to digest still, but those were my two initial things that really resonated with me. 


Since being back, the week has been full, a lot of going and coming. We made some progress on our basement renovations, even got the treadmill & tv set up again in the basement. We also set up our first piece of nursery furniture, and moved most of the stuff out of the guestroom, which will soon be the nursery. Things are coming along!!


I just realized that I started this post with the intention of it going in a completely different direction.. so, there is likely to be a second post today. Part of the result of a busy week I suppose :)

54 Things about Mom

Today is Mom's birthday! And if you follow her blog you'll know that for her kids birthdays lately she's been writing as many things about them as the age they are turning. So, Leah & I decided that this year, we'd do the same for our wonderful Mom. Right now she's enjoying a day full of surprises and things we planned to celebrate her and who she is and how much we love her.

Here are some things you may or may not know about our wonderful Mom...


54 Things about Mom

1.Mom is the best mom - to all 4 of her kids, Josh, Leah, Ashley & Michael. She loves her kids and her 'in law" kids equally!
 

2.Mom has been married to her high school sweetheart for 34 years this fall. She can still remember meeting Dad at MBCI.

3. Mom is a faithful friend. She has so many friends from all different times in her life, and she loves to catch up with them over coffee. She has had her same best friend Josie since they were teenagers.
 

4.Mom and Josie lived together in a house beside MBCI when they were only in Grade 11. This spot was a popular hangout especially for Dad and Uncle Al.
 

5. Mom loves both sets of her parents and had friendships with them. When Mom lost both of her parents in her 30's it was much too soon. She carries a lot of the same endearing qualities and characteristics as Granny and Poppa.
 

6. Mom puts others before herself. She is always willing to give a ride, buy a meal, bake for someone, give money to those in need, give up her time to help out etc.

7. Mom founded a daycare - Sugar-n-Spice and was the Director of the daycare for 25 years. While working there she worked along side many family members - Poppa co-founded & directed with her, Auntie Ruth was the assistant director, Granny & Grandma cooked in the kitchen, as did Auntie Gail. Dad and Grandpa were always there to help fix things and build things, and Uncle Rick worked in one of the rooms as a daycare worker. It was quite the family effort!
 

8. Mom left the daycare when she felt called very clearly by God to pursue a vision he had given her - to start a retreat for women. It was a hard choice to leave a career of 25 years, but Mom trusts God and followed what he was calling her too.
 

9. After leaving the daycare, God surprised Mom by opening up a calling for her to serve at McIvor church. She started helping first with reception, then was an interim Pastor of Church Ministries, and was then given a permanent position as the Pastor of Church Ministries. She served there for 7 years, and built many valuable relationships. She was effective in her areas of ministry, and was even able to preach a few times!
 

10. In 2008 Mom decided to get the ball rolling on the retreat house vision. Since then, it has taken a lot of trust in God, time and effort, finances and flexibility to work on this project!
 

11. When God gave Mom the vision for the retreat house, he gave her the specifics as well, the name - Women Refreshed at the Well; the number of bedrooms - 5, and other specifics.
 

12. Mom heard God speak audibly one day in our house in Anola. Talking about it still makes her arm hair stand on it's end!
 

13. Mom and Dad moved to Anola, into a house that Dad built when she was pregnant with Ashley. They lived there for 26 years, where they farmed and built relationships with their neighbours.
 

14. Mom loves going for walks. Her favorite places to walk were on Springfield Road in Anola, in the back 40 in Anola, and at the lake. Mom & Dad have started going for walks along Henderson now as well.
 

15. Mom relearned how to ride a bike last year, and showed her perseverance when she got right back up after a couple of falls the first time we rode bikes together at the lake last year. We got her a bike for Mother's Day this year, complete with a basket!
 

16. Mom LOVES being a granny to all 3 grandsons, and is already faithfully praying and loving on the grandbaby that's on the way!
 

17. Mom is a woman after God's heart. She loves spending time in prayer and reading her bible. She loves to learn and study under people like Beth Moore and Larry Crabb, and she is constantly seeking to know more about God.
 

18. Mom loves to sing and worship. She is not afraid to raise her hands in worship and to weep. She loves to sing!
 

19.Mom loves singing to Everett and Roger. She is known for her song "The birdies in the treetop sing their song, the angels chant their chorus all day long. The flowers in the garden blend their hue. So why shouldn't I, why shouldn't you, praise him too!" Everett loves when Mom sings that song to him.
 

20. Mom was in a band when she was a teenager. She played the triangle! The band was called "God's Children" but they changed it to, "Some of God's Children" because they didn't want anyone assuming they thought they were the only children of God's!
 

21. Mom also plays the organ, and as a kid I (Ashley) remember her playing once and awhile on Saturdays.
 

22. Mom almost died once. When she was in the hospital with a very bad infection. Auntie Heather worked at the same hospital, and had a feeling from God that she should go visit mom. When she got here, Mom's lips were blue and she was extremely, dangerously low on Oxygen levels. Auntie Heather alerted the nurses and they were able to resolve the issue. We are so glad Auntie Heather followed that nudging!

23.Mom is the middle child - she has two older sisters, Maryann & Heather, and two younger adopted brothers, Bryan and Tim. When Mom is with her sisters, there is a lot of laughter!
 

24. Mom loves to laugh! She laughs a lot with her family and her friends. Sometimes her and Dad get going about a joke and they both end up crying since they are laughing so hard!!
 

25. Mom loves to shorten words, which we tease her for. We tease her when she says "I'm a DSR at CBS" even though that is what she is! She is a good sport with our teasing!
 

26. Mom loves her job at Canadian Blood Services. She has already made some great friends there that she loves to work with. She is a friendly face for those who come to donate.

27. Mom is a generous gift-giver. She loves to buy special things for those she loves and tends to go all out on holidays! Mom's care-packages are over the top and she loves to show up with a surprise treat or bunch of flowers. The stockings at Christmas are the sizes of big garbage bags...seriously!

28. Traditions are very important to Mom. Every Christmas she likes to try to make rice pudding and every New Years Day she makes New Years cookies.


29. Mom is very nostalgic. She tends to keep special little things tucked away...like a tin of ginger that was her Mom's!

30. Mom LOVES the beach. She loves feeling the sand in between her toes, loves the warmth of the wind, loves the sound of the waves, and loves looking at palm trees. Vacations to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Cuba, and Thailand have been real highlights for Mom. She says that when she thinks of paradise, she thinks of tropical beaches. Mom believes that heaven will be full of palm trees!


31. Mom holds possessions loosely, figuratively and literally. We kids tease Mom about losing things (especially in her car!)...but in all honesty, it is a beautiful thing that she doesn't hold on too tightly to her possessions. She is always willing to give and to share and tends to forget if she's loaned things out.


32. Mom has a fear of deep water. She almost drowned when she was a child at Faith Bible Camp. Even though she loves the beach and likes being in the boat, you won't ever catch her water-skiing behind the boat!

33. Mom isn't afraid to try new things and isn't afraid to embrace new ideas. She is always willing to grow and be teachable. She has a very open mind and tends jump right in to new things. She's quite an artistic, free-spirited woman!


34. Mom likes to "fly by the seat of her pants" as she puts it. She likes to improvise and think on the spot. Leaving things to the last minute doesn't seem to bother her too much. That being said, deep down with the important stuff, she likes to "have all her ducks in a row." :)


35. Mom loves to travel, especially with her family. Last year she travelled to Alaska with Dad and some friends. She'd also love to go to Europe and Israel one day.

36. Mom spent her early years, teen years, and adult years being involved at Faith Bible Camp. Her Mom and Dad were instrumental in starting it up and running it. Mom was the secretary for the camp for a number of years.


37. Mom loves to read. She loves fiction and non-fiction. Often she has a bunch of books on the go, with lots underlined and written in the margins!


38. Mom is a writer. She writes on her blog, she journals, she wants to write an autobiography, I think she's even written some fiction stuff!


39. Mom loves to get pedicures and massages. One quality that we loves about her is that she knows how to kick back and relax.

40. Although Mom loves people, she is an introvert. She likes to have peace and quiet and needs her space sometimes.


41. Mom likes to have baths!


42. Mom used to be a cheerleader! She also used to run track and play baseball!


43. Mom is a fearless cook and welcoming host. Mom can whip up something out of nothing, bake without proper ingredients, invite people in spur of the moment, and make everyone feel happy and relaxed. Mom lives her life with such warmth; people are drawn to her because of her gentle and peaceful spirit.


44. Mom doesn't sweat the small stuff. She cares about people, not things. When she has people over, she is focused on THEM not herself.

45. Mom is a hard worker...sometimes she works a little too hard!


46. Mom is still VERY much in love with the man of her dreams. Mom loves Dad and Dad loves Mom. It is very clear to see that they are best friends.

47. Mom hates going to the dentist!

48. Mom has compassion and love for those that others would consider unlovable. When Mom was working at McIvor church she befriended a homeless man that often came to the church during the week. His name is Barry, and she would go out of her way to show him love and kindness.

49. Mom LOVES coffee! There is always a full pot of coffee on at her place.

50. Mom has a signature smell - her perfume "Karma" from Lush. 

51. Mom has had the privilege of performing the marriages of a few couples that she loves! The most recent one was for Kara, the daughter of two of Mom & Dad's best friends, Al & Janet. 

52. Heard of a new gum? Chances are Mom has it in her purse! We like to tease her about the fact that she is so quick to try the new kinds, but us kids have been known to help ourselves to a piece or 2 of that gum.. :)

53. When Mom was a kid she was helping her Mom bake, and she leaned over the bowl while the hand mixer was going. Mom had long brown hair, and her hair got caught up in the beaters, and the mixer went right up to her head. But Granny was very patient, and took the time to untangle all of Mom's hair. Mom has that same patience that Granny has!

54. Mom is so loved. By Dad, her husband of almost 34 years (in September), her 4 kids: Josh, Leah, Ashley & Michael, her grandsons: Jay, Everett, & Roger and even her grand baby on the way. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! WE LOVE YOU!!