Little By Little

When I went to camp as a child there was a song we often sang called "Little By Little". Well this is the theme song of our spring on the farm this year!  Little by little we are getting the seed in the ground!

If you have been following our blog throughout the winter you know that we had a unusually large amount of snow. Well with the LOTS of snow we had, and the late spring, things have been quite soggy on the fields. We were very thankful to finally be able to start seeding on the 13th of May. We put in a few very long days and one all nighter (making a farm record of how many acres we seeded in a 24 hr period!) because the forecast said more rain was on the way. And sure enough we got another nice bit of rain which halted our seeding for a few more days. But thankfully, near the end of last week, we were able to get started seeding again. Basically now we are caught up to the dry ground and now have to wait for the very BIG and very SOGGY pot holes to dry. About now we could also be singing the "Have Patience" song because this morning we woke up to more rain....but that's ok...it will help our seeded crops grow :) We always welcome rain....for without rain....nothing grows!!!

Every farming year is different. Sometimes things go like clockwork...and other years....well...they don't! But we are so thankful that we serve a God who know what He is doing!!! What peace and rest to know that He is in control and that He will take care of us like He promises in His Word. I can't even imagine the amount of stress we would be feeling right now if it weren't for the fact that we serve a MIGHTY GOD! And that in our years of farming He has proven over and over again that even if things seem impossible to us in the natural.....He is way BIGGER than what seems impossible! His ways are not our ways.....and that's a GOOD thing....cause I am pretty sure we would mess things up royally!!!

So this spring has been another lesson in trust....trusting that God has a perfect plan. And finding that spot where we rest and the other spot where we go, go, go!!!! We are thankful that we are now seeing the end of our seeding season and look forward to what the rest of the summer will bring! Now maybe we can focus on getting our garden it :)

Well this was an attempt at an update. If it seems like I just wrote about seeding....that's because that is our life right now. Even when we are not seeding.....we are seeding....if you know what I mean. It is always on our minds :)

Here is a scripture verse that I have been thinking a lot about lately.

  "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, 

and cold and heat, and summer and winter,

 and day and night shall not cease ." 

Genesis 8:22 
What a beautiful promise!!!

Things are Coming Together!!!

The bride's and bridesmaid's dresses are fitted, the families clothing is altered and ironed, the menu is planned and the food is bought, the decorations are made, the flowers are ordered, the rentals are rented, the house renovations are completed, the hair trials are almost done, the baby is staying inside mama :), and the "to do" list is getting shorter and shorter....YEAH!!!!

And today begins our week of "lasts" with Megan living here at home. So again it is with bittersweet emotions that we look forward to this week and the final preparations that need to be made for Mar.3/12, the day Henry and Megan will become husband and wife!!! We will enjoy every moment with Megan  here and with joy we will help her prepare for the "big day"!

So if you think of us this week please pray for us for:

~Strength for everyone, but especially that this pregnant mama will be able to keep up with the pace. So far I have been feeling really, really well and know that it is only by God's strength that I am able to be this busy and not be totally exhausted!

~For Henry and Megan as they prepare their hearts for their wedding day.

~For our family as we adjust to a new normal. When you have a large family, things have to be designated and scheduled to prevent chaos!  Megan will leave some big shoes that need to be filled and we are going to have some re-organizing to do...especially with a new baby on the way VERY SOON!!!

~That the new baby will stay in it's cozy home until after the wedding :)

~That I will not bawl like a baby through the whole wedding!!!!! Being pregnant and very emotional, this is going to be a hard one for me :)

~For good health. Jaden woke up from his sleep last night with the stomach flue. Today he seems fine but please pray that this will not spread and that everyone will feel well this week....especially on the day of the wedding.

~For God's hand to be on this special new couple. We love them so much and are so happy for them!

Thank you so much to all of our faithful friends. I know we have not been doing much updating as there has been NO TIME!!! But we feel your prayers and support. Thank you!

Updates :)

When I started this blog a few years ago I decided that I wouldn't blog unless I had something worth saying. I wasn't about to write a blog post just "because" or in order to keep my readers. Often my posts have come as a passion burning in my heart, I sit down at the computer to write and within a few minutes I have it published. But lately this hasn't been the case....so I haven't blogged much. And I also decided I wouldn't let blogging get in the way of caring for my family. If I was too busy....the posts would have to wait.

Well my lack of posts in the last few months have been because of these reasons exactly. I haven't had a lot of those "I just have to share this" moments lately. And I have also been too busy to blog!

But today I thought I would take a few moments to give an update of our lives :)

My last post was about the changes that have been taking place in our life when our 3rd child, Megan got engaged. Well since then we have set a wedding date and are now BUSY making plans!!! Henry and Megan's wedding has been set for Mar. 3rd. This is a real exciting time for all of us and we are having a lot of fun! So far the invitations are made, the bridesmaid dresses are in the making, the church has been booked, the meal has been planned.....and the list goes on :) It's always nice to check things off the list as we get it done!

Henry bought a house a couple of months ago and so our family has been helping him renovate it and get it ready for them to move in after they are married. That's also been a big job that has taken time but it has been so great to be able to pitch in where we can as a family! Things go a lot faster with lots of helpers!

We also had a quick visit with our Tennessee friends, the Munck's, when they came to visit us this past week. It was so great to see each other face to face again and catch up on all the little details of our life. It was hard to say good-bye, but we look forward to seeing them again....hopefully sooner than later!

Today marks 33 weeks of my pregnancy. My blood pressure has been great, and my blood sugar as well so that has been an answer to prayer. Baby is still growing and kicking and letting mama know it's in there! We did have an ultra sound last week because I was measuring a little bigger than I should have been. Of course ultra sounds are not very accurate at this stage in pregnancy so I am not sure it helped out much. The tech said that the dates can be off 3 weeks (give or take) and off almost a pound (give or take) so it's no use going by the info we got! But for the record I was 35 weeks and baby was 5 lbs. 6 oz. So we'll see how far off that actually is! I guess OUR goal is that the baby will stay put until the wedding is over. I don't care if I go into labor that night.....but please Lord, not before :) But in my heart I know that God's timing is perfect and we will rejoice with whatever time He chooses! I have never been earlier than a couple of days before (except for the times I was induced) so I am not too worried :)

We are also teaching a parenting class this winter so that has been a lot of fun! We have a great group of parents that are so eager to put into practice the things they are learning. And of course, as always, we are learning right along with them! It is always refreshing to go through this course and to encourage other parents that it is possible to have children that you can enjoy parenting!

And other than this, it's been the regular everyday routine of life in a large family. I am noticing as I get older that my brain gets tired quicker than my body somedays! Of course now we have every stage in our family, married, engaged, adult, teens, adolescence, children, toddlers and soon to be infant, so there's a lot to keep up with. Yup, life is full :) But we love it!!!!

And that is my update for today. Hope your weekend is going well!

Random Life Things

Here is what our days have been like around here (and I'm sure many others as well:)

We wake up and see if the sun is shining or not. 9 times out of 10 it isn't, many times in fact, it is raining. If it's raining we try to think of some inside projects that can be left at a drop of a hat, just in case the sun shines. Because if the sun shines....we rush outside and the frantic weeding, mowing, tilling, and anything else that has had to wait for the sun to shine, begins. It's been quite a spring to say the least. Today we were able to get most of the garden weeded and tilled before it started to pour.....again!

Over the years Mark and I have said that we would rather rain than drought. I know lots of rain floods things and drowns things out, but there still seems to be hope with rain. With a drought, when everything is dead with no seeming chance of growing, it is a lot more hard to take.

We have been very blessed in our area. We were able to get all of our crops in and sprayed. There are others in this province, and other provinces who have not been able to get either accomplished. Our prayers are with them as we can only imagine how hard that must be. A farmer's life this time of year is supposed to be crazy busy, instead many are waiting around for things to dry up.

On another note I thought it was time for a pregnancy update. Up until last week everything was going super well. My blood pressure was well controlled, baby growing and moving lots (did I say LOTS!). Then I went in for my routine blood sugar test. The random one came back high, so I had to do a one hour one. That one came back high, the next step was a 3 hour fasting test. That also came back high so now I have been told I have gestational diabetes. This means that I am back to seeing a Dr. at least for a couple of weeks. My Dr. is super nice, I am thankful for that, but still not the route we wanted to go. I was sent to a dietician and we are now trying to bring my levels down simply by diet change. I am happy that this is the first step they take.

So now eating is not such a simple thing anymore. I have to write down everything I eat and test myself 4 times a day to see how my levels are doing. Eating takes a lot more thinking, as I have to eat protien and vegetables with my carbohydrates. I am not supposed to go any more than 3 hours between eating and concentrate on eating smaller meals. Basically I have said good-bye to sweets. I could eat, in moderation, things sweetened with fake sweeteners, but I am not too keen on that.

My Dr. said that if my levels aren't able to be controlled with diet then I will have to take insulin. But the dietician said that this changing the diet route usually works. So we are praying for that.

From what I have read, there is usually no symptoms for gestational diabetes. I do not feel bad at all. There is one thing that I have noticed though since I have changed my diet. It used to be that when I got hungry, I would immediately feel headachy. But now my stomach just feels the hunger. So not sure if that is related or not?

As for my birth plan, everything is up in the air right now. I have an ultra sound coming up to check how the baby is doing and his/her size. One of the common complications with gestational diabetes is that the sugar goes to the baby and the baby grows big. If the ultra sound shows the baby is growing too big, then the Dr's plan is to take the baby earlier. So we are again praying that we caught this early enough and baby is not getting too much chub :)

Once again I am getting practice at trusting God, His timing, and knowing in my heart that He is in control and being A-OK with that. I don't know what this birth is going to look like. I don't know the purposes that God has in allowing us to go through this and that's OK. I don't need to understand, I just need to hold His hand (as the song goes). I am so thankful that I do not need to figure it all out....there's freedom in that!

So for now it is a wait and see thing. See if the diet will work, see what the ultra sound results are, and see if I will be able to go back to my midwife after things are under control. And in the mean time, look forward to meeting our little reward :) Time is flying by and we know baby will be here faster than we think.

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for my blood pressure! And could you please add this concern when you think of praying for us? Oh, and if there is anyone out there who has been through this and can give me some pointers, it would be greatly appreciated :)

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome. Deuteronomy 10:17

Updates....

I just wanted to say a big thank you to all who have been praying for me since I posted this request. I am so thankful for each and every one of you who have said that you hold up our family daily in your prayers and I am once again overwhelmed and so grateful for our friends and fellow believers from far and near.

The baby is doing great as far as I can tell. We have heard a strong healthy heartbeat a couple of times. That's always so nice to hear :) I have been feeling more and more movement the last couple of days as the little arrow is letting me know he/she is in there! Sometimes it catches me off guard as in the busyness of life I often forget that I am even pregnant :) (I think those of you who have many children will know what I am saying!) But that little flutter brings a smile to my face and a feeling of LOVE to my heart for this dear, precious little life.

My blood pressure has been staying in the normal range. My Dr. has agreed to continue to let me monitor it at home, while continuing care with my midwife. And if it would happen to go up again then I would have shared care between her and my midwife. I can't tell you how grateful I am to the Lord for sending a Dr. to us that is so caring, not to mention reasonable. She has been a HUGE blessing to us. And have I ever told you how wonderful my midwife is? Well.....SHE IS :)

On another note, we are enjoying have Josh, Rebecca and baby Andrew home with us again. What a special little sweetie he is. It has been such a joy to cuddle and love on him. He is doing well, growing, and becoming more and more alert every day. He was scheduled to have hernia surgery this past Tuesday, but he has a cold so they postponed it until a later date. Please pray for him, that he would get over this cold quickly and be able to fight off the other germs he comes in contact with.

And just so you can take a peak at the little bundle that we get to cuddle with, here's a video of little Andrew taken last week. He's already changed a lot since then....but he's just as cute :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

#12 IS ON THE WAY

Thank you for all your kind congrats from our riddle post! Life has been full and busy around here. Never have I been able to welcome a grandchild home and announce a pregnacy all in the same week! What fun it has been :)

Our life is feeling somewhat normal again...the new normal. Mark is very happy to have his helper, Joshua, back! It always amazes me how you just make do when you don't have....but when you have someone back....you wonder how you ever did without. Only God's grace!

As for the riddle.....YES, we are very exctied to announce that we are expecting our 12th child around the beginning of August.

I have often wondered if I would one day be a pregnant Grammy! And the Lord saw fit to make that a reality. I am over the morning sickness (or rather all day) now.....so things are going pretty well. I am having a bit of a struggle with high blood pressure though. My blood pressure has always been kind of borderline high in most of my other pregnancies.....and we have been able to keep it under control without medication. But never has it gotten this high.....and never quite so early. So I found a Dr. who is willing to work together with my midwife and let me monitor things closely at home with my own cuff (which she checked out with hers to make sure it was accurate) and for now I have been able to stay off of medication. So if you think of me could I ask you to please pray for my blood pressure........that it would stay in the normal range.

Other than that everything is going great! We heard the heart beat on Thursday. That is always exciting no matter how many times you experience it! A little miracle inside.....a precious gift from God. Never do I want to take for granted this experience, because I know there are so many who have never been able to experience this or desire to experience it again and haven't been able to. I often wonder why God allows some women to conceive and not others, or some who would like more who haven't been able to conceive again. But then I have to remind myself that God is God, His ways are not my ways, He sees the big picture.....and He is in control....not me!

So that's the latest news around here. EVERYONE is very excited to have a new brother or sister, Lord willing, in the summer. Jennifer thinks he/she would be a wonderful birthday present (July 30). We have Brooke working on names. What she has come up with so far? "Lil ol Fella" :) Kind of has a nice ring to it don't you think!

And of course Josiah is ecstatic for a new little playmate! Here is a picture of him when we told him the wonderful news (ok....not really!)

He's Home!

Words can't even express my emotions right now.

Yesterday Andrew left the hospital and came home to meet the rest of his family.

It was a very special day that none of us will soon forget.

We are so thankful to the Lord for answering all of our prayers.

So now a new chapter begins for all of us.

The chapter of having a grandson and actually being able to see him without driving over 2 hours to a hospital. Being able to cuddle him without juggling monitor wires.

For all the aunties and uncles it will begin the chapter of actually being able to see and hold him in person. They were all so excited yesterday to meet Andrew for the first time and hold him.

We all met at the Penner's house for supper. It was time for celebrating. It was so nice to be able to share this precious moment together.

As you can imagine Andrew didn't get put down almost all afternoon and evening. There was lots of snuggling to catch up on! I just hope he gave Daddy and Mommy some sleep last night :) after him sleeping almost all day long! But at this point I know that they are just thankful to have him home......sleep or no sleep!

Thank you again for your continuous prayers on Andrew's behalf. Could I ask that you would please continue to pray for his continued health and strength.

Here are some pictures from yesterday and the aunties and uncles first snuggles with little AJ. I think they look pretty happy....don't you!

(Not everyone got a picture taken....but all did get to hold him)

Brooke

Jesse

Zachary

Caleb

Kerri

Megan

Jennifer, Raechelle and Rita

Group picture of all the proud Aunties!

YES!!!!!

That's all I have to say right now.

Go to Josh and Rebecca's blog to find out why.

The Countdown is still going....

Thank you so much for your kind comments and continued prayers fpr Andrew.

It is such a blessing to know that we are part of a larger Church family that can unite together and bring requests to our Heavenly Father.

As for Andrew. He had a small desat on Wed but Rebecca said yesterday he was having a very good day. He hadn't had a desat all day! Glory be to God!

So just wanted to let you all know that we are still counting down the days until our families can lead somewhat normal lives again.

Please continue to pray.

"Your kindgdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Gramps and Grammy Update #2

Many of you have been asking how little Andrew is doing (AJ as Gramps affectionately likes to call him) so I thought it was about time for an update. Rebecca just updated their blog and instead of me trying to give you details I thought it might be better to direct you there.

But I did want to say that words really cannot express our gratitude for the many times we have heard that you are praying for them. We know it is because of your prayers that things are going so well. It's especially in times like these that we really appreciate the larger Church body.

If you are wondering how to pray for them?

~Continued strength, grace and health for Josh and Rebecca.

~Blessings on the missionary couple that have opened up their home to Josh and Rebecca, given them a key to their home so they can come and go as they please. This was a huge answer to prayer. Again....the body of Christ.....a blessing.

~ I don't know how many times around our table the prayer has went up...."Help Andrew to get big." I told Rebecca that he is probably going to be huge because of all the prayers of his uncles and aunts :) So please join us in praying that he continues to grow big and strong so he can come home with Daddy and Mommy.

~That little Andrew would not forget to breath :)

~ That his grandparents who are just longing to be able to scoop him up and hug him, would be able to soon.....and I think his aunts and uncles feel the same :)

Thanks again for praying!

Grammy and Gramps Report

Thought it was about time for an update on little Andrew.

First off thank you for all your congratulations and prayers. It means so much to hear that people all over the world are praying for little Andrew.

He seems to be doing well. He was taken off the ventilator yesterday morning which was great news. He had to have blood given to him almost right away as his hemoglobbin was quite low. He has to have a couple of tests and app'ts, some routine, some things they are a little concerned about. We should know the results of those some time today.

We were able to see him when he was just a few hours old so that was exciting. He is a little sweetie. But so tiny. It's hard to believe they grow so much in the last 10 weeks.

Rebecca is doing well. She is hoping to be discharged today. I think she likes hospitals just about as much as I do :-) Joshua is a little sleep deprived but doing well too.

Grammy and Gramps are enjoying this new roll even though it didn't turn out quite like we expected it to! But we are so thankful that God loves our little grandchild so much more than we do and He has a perfect plan for him.

Thanks for tunning in to the GRAMMY AND GRAMPS REPORT. Oh ya, and by the way, I think I am getting a gray hair....YEAH!

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

The Baby Has Arrived!

At 5:10 this evening Andrew Joshua has made his appearance!

He is 3 lbs 2.5 oz 15 inches.

We love you Andy!

More details to come soon

Soon To Be Grandpa's

Mom sent us this picture and I thought it was to

cute not to share with you:)

Still waiting...

Another Update

Hi again....still from the big city.

We had another day of sticking around the hospital and having good visits with Joshua and Rebecca.

Just to update you......Rebecca's contractions are still quieted right down. The baby will get his/her last shot of steroids tonight and then it's wait and see.

So really....not sure what to say except thanks again for your prayers (have I mentioned that already :) and please continue to pray for Josh, Rebecca and their baby (our sweet little grandbaby)

GRANDPA'S IN WAITING:)

Oh and please pray for our families back at home.,..for the girls decided to make donuts at 9:45 at night :) But seriously...they have been doing a great job at holding down the fort and allowing us to be here with their brother, sister and neice/nephew. Bless them Lord :)

THE AUNTS AND UNCLES IN WAITING

I hope to update you again tomorrow so check in again if you would like :)

Update

Hi from the big city.

First of all thank you so much for all your prayers. We really appreciate them and know that God has honored them.

Last evening we went to visit Josh and Rebecca. We were thankful to find out that the contractions had slowed a lot. Right now the goal is to give the baby steroids to help develop the baby's lungs. They were hoping to be able to hold off labor for 48 hours. This morning (not sure what time) will be 24. So far she is still on the meds to slow down the contractions.

She also had an ultra sound and everything looks fine. Baby is doing well so we are very thankful for that.

We want to visit them again today so we will update when possible.

Josh and Rebecca are doing great and are trusting in God's plan for their baby. We are so thankful for their faith in Him.

Please continue to pray for Rebecca and baby's health and that God's will be done in their lives.

Here are a couple of pictures from last nights visit.

THEY ARE IN A REALLY TINY ROOM BEHIND THE NURSES STATION.

THEY WERE HOPING TO MOVE TO A BIGGER ROOM BUT THE DR. WANTS THEM TO STAY CLOSE TO THE NURSES.

REBECCA ALL HOOKED UP.

ISN'T SHE GLOWING :)

Grandbaby Update

Don't you think she will make a good mommy?

And He will make a good Daddy?

Only 10 weeks and 3 days until this precious little one is due!

We are all so excited!!

And this little dude is pretty excited to be an UNCLE!!