The new agent

The Agent has been formally Promoted to Private Poop upon the arrival of the new agent filling her new role of Orange.
Last night was the first night I actually got more than 2 or 3 hours of consecutive sleep since the arrival of our daughter, Julianna. I much prefer to wake up and take care of her than wake up with a full bladder, still pregnant though.
Right now she is a dark-haired, blue-eyed, little sweetie who only complains vigorously when she fills her diaper.
We are SOOOOO thankful that God brought her into this world safely and pray that she would Love Him from an early age. God is gracious, so many things could have gone wrong and didn't because He saw fit to take care of us. If you want to hear the story in person let me know, it's rather interesting!

Mommie moments

Inevitably, it seems, as soon as I vacuum and mop the floor - someone pees on it. It would be aggravating if the humor didn't get the best of me. Josiah peed right next to the toilet tonight (at least he's getting closer!). Jessi peed out of excitement when Mark got home today. For those of you who don't know, Jessi is our newest pooch, who seems to be breaking the record for longest lived dog in the house, except Baxter. (Adam, looks like Baxter won't be sic'ing the canine mofia on this one!)
Clean floors are over-rated anyway - after all we're fashioned from dirt aren't we? Why not live with it around? . . .
3 weeks till moving day as of today. Really excited to get to higher latitudes and escape this abominable heat. 9 months out of the year I understand why the Phoenix population is so large but these three-4 leaves me wondering if the 9 are worth it. . .
We're reading: "Bringing up Boys" by Dr. James Dobson. Great book - hysterical in parts and just good sound advice from Scripture and experience. I'm always leery of Psychology but Dr. Dobson is a discerning man with a heart for God.
There are some epcerts from a book entitled: "Up to No Good: The Rascally Things boys Do," Edited by Kitty Harmon. I will leave you with one that tickled me because it reminded me of Adam in Junior high.
"In seventh grade, the biology teacher had us dissect fetal pigs. My friends and I pocketed the snout of the pig and stuck it on the water fountain so that the water shot straight up out of the pig's nostrils. No one really noticed it until they were bent over just about to drink. The problem is that we wanted to stick around and see the results, but then we started laughing so hard that we got caught. We all got the paddle for that." ~ Mark, Ohio, B. 1960

From Diamonds to Diapers

The Agent has been involved in an "undercover explosive operation" these 26 hours. So undercover I dread taking off his diaper cover. He managed to set off one bomb so high powered it did a mushroom cloud design around the cloth next to his skin and the opposite side of the cloth. Thankfully all contained by the wonderful "air covers" that keep air and everything else in. Albeit toxic fumes leak sometimes. Needless to say I've been on diaper duty - slaving over the bathtub quite often.

Well, our house is on the market and we're just trying to keep ahead of the weeds & grass outside and dirt inside. We got a new vacuum cleaner - a KIRBY - because it really sucks quite well. Gets all the allergens AND the heavy dirt out of the carpet. So we're looking to sell our almost year old Oreck - which does VERY well with hair, dust and light dirt removal - whether on tile or carpet. It's light-weight too. Any takers?

Being outside in the sunshine and "fresh air" really does wonders for mood improvement. Makes me feel useful.
Josiah is running now and hopping into his little green car all by himself. It doesn't have doors that open so he kind of does the "Dukes of Hazard" climb and slide in. Who was the blonde Duke? Bo or Duke? John Schneider's the actor I believe I just can't recall.
Well, with that, I'll leave you with two encouraging quotes I just read in a book.

The ancient silver smith would heat crude silver ore in his crucible until impurities rose to the top. Then he would skim off the slag and repeat the refining process. He knew he had achieved pure silver when, gazing into the molten metal, he could see his own reflection. Our Father disciplines us in the crucible of trial and suffering, then skims away the impurities. His goal is to look into our lives and see the image of Jesus (Romans 8: 29).
Jim Carpenter, "Do You Know Your Father?"
Discipleship Journal, Volume 51

As sure as God puts His children in the furnace He will be in the furnace with them. (See Daniel)
Charles H. Spurgeon

Stir my soul

This weekend was a great weekend. God used the sermons from a visiting speaker to really stir my spiritual affections to Him again. The Texts were Psalm 32 and Malachi 3. I was in the nursery in the evening but my hubby burned a CD for me with both of them and I've enjoyed listening to them. Stories really speak to my heart and the sermons were told in that fashion. They were NOT by any means a bunch of anecdotes slapped between scripture verses, as have been some sermons I've heard - which are amusing but not much else. These were carefully woven thoughts with scripture and edifying quotes from saints outside of it and analogies from the tangible realm pointing to the spiritual nature of life. God has given us so many pictures, and shadows built into this life that we may touch and yearn more deeply for the life to come. . .
Josiah is walking now and starting to really talk. His favorite words are ALL Boy: Ball, Dog, Choo (for Choo-choo, courtesy of my dad:), mama, and "No, no, no!!!" My dad made him a wooden train with wheels and a flatbed caboose, which he LOVEs to push around the house going: "choo-choooo-cho-choo..."
Looks like we are moving to Boise, ID, early this June. We're getting our house and yard cleaned up and packing half our stuff like Mother Hen suggested. I let our realtor read her monthly Newsletter and she said that her tips on preparing a home to sell were right on!! (Of course, who would expect anything less from her!!!)
I leave you with some verses from one of my favorite hymns:

Jesus, priceless treasure, source of purest pleasure,
Truest Friend to me: ah, how long in anguish,
Shall my spirit languish, yearning, Lord, for Thee?
Thine I am, O spotless Lamb! I will suffer naught to hide Thee,
Naught I ask beside Thee.

In Thine arms I rest me; foes who would molest me
Cannot reach me here. Though the earth be shaking,
Ev'ry heart be quaking, Jesus calms my fear.
Lightnings flash and thunders crash;
Yet though sin and hell asail me,
Jesus will not fail me.

Cry me a river...

I have to say I am so thankful to have been given such a tough little trouper. The past two days have contained crying sessions that have been rather rough. Josiah has now taken to holding onto furniture and anything solid, legs, etc in order to walk around the room. Yesterday he slipped as he was going from coffee table to couch and chipped the corner of his right front tooth. You know it hurt when you see a red scrunched up face and keep hearing this LOOONG inhalation -- and then the siren blasts - right in my ear. Yep, that REALLY hurt.
My ever-lovin' (my Dad's nickname for Mark to me "Your ever lovin'" wouldn't that be most appropriate for God, come to think of it... ) just finished making Josiah's toybox yesterday. Beautiful job he did too.
Well this is short. The little munchkin needs a bath, getting cranky. I wouldn't trade my job raising him for ANYTHING.

Does it get Any Better?

Motherhood has been even more fun than I expected... Don't get me wrong, I thought it would be fulfilling, but not This fun. Josiah is now alternating between his GI Josiah army crawl and REAL crawling. He and Baxter ( our fluffy white foo-foo dog) are playing together. Baxter is the clean up crew whenever Josiah spits up. Gross but very functional and appreciated. (What's that proverb? . . . "As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." Quite the word picture.)
Baxter loves licking Josiah and Josiah loves it when Baxter gets in one of his Blitzing moods where he tears around the house and makes funny noises. Josiah has this great Belly laugh when he thinks something's really funny. Baxter's antics seem to fall in that category. They pass the rubber ducky and golf balls in the house back and forth.
We are still pondering moving to Boise. Please pray that God would open doors if it's his will.
Anyone ever hear of Kent Hovind? He is a Creation Evangelist, and has an organization called Creation Sciene Evangelism. Good stuff. He's not reformed but he's out there educating Christians to the lies in the Public school textbooks, National Geographic, and Universities etc. His website is www.drdino.com. Very good articles and gives some great evidence and rebuttals to Evolutionists.

Thought Provoking

Naptimes are great. I was beginning to think my brain was shrinking and that I no longer had the capacity to promote intelligent thought, but sometimes the best stimuli is a good book. The Good Book is the best, but next to that is hymnals and biographies of Christians in the past. I just started reading: "The Hidden Smile of God", by John Piper, on the Lives of: John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd.
Getting adequate sleep is a prerequisite to stimuli. After "Little people" learn that they can actually sleep until 5 or 6am without finding it necessary to wake mom up for a snack, brain function actually begins to clear the perpetual fog that set in postpartum.
Anyway the book is excellent. I haven't even completed a third of it and already find it very uplifting. William Cowper is one of my favorite hymnists. He dealt with a great loss of family in his life on earth, struggled with depression, and suicide attempts (We don't usually think that is possible in a Christian? Yet God used him and he has encouraged so many, who struggle with depression. You can't always pray away depression, but you can pray through it. God carries us when we only see one set up Footprints in the Sand.
William Cowper wrote the Hymn: (Please even if you know it, read and savor the words, they balm my soul every time.)

God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform
He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable minds of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs and works His Sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head.

Judge not the LORD by feeble sense, but trust him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flow'r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.