My Birthday Boy

June 22, 2007 was a pretty big day here. It was a day filled with much celebration! June 21st started off just like many of the previous weeks before... with my being quite largely pregnant.

As the day progressed, we started thinking that our little one was going to arrive on the first day of Summer. But he had other plans.... at about 11:30 that evening, we realized that he was holding out for my birthday!

Early on the morning of the 22nd, I received one of the best birthday gifts I have ever received... our first son! (I say one of the best because Isaac proposed to me on my 20th birthday, so I've had two pretty wonderful birthdays!)

Just a few minutes old

Daddy and his boy

Meeting the sisters

3 months old

6 months old

1st birthday

My 2 year old!

And here's a few pictues from the family birthday party Sunday night...  William missed his nap and so he was begging for bed before we got the camera OR the cake out...

Being a Sweet Fragrance

Hannah, one of the "sweet fragrances" in my life

"The smith, who makes an edged tool, -an axe, a knife, or any such instrument, -first works the iron and steel into the form which he wishes, and then tempers it. While he is working it, he wants to keep it soft, so that he can work it easy; and this he does by keeping it hot. But after he gets it finished, he heats it in the fire and dips it in water, so as to cool it suddenly, and that makes it hard. But, if he let it so, it would be so hard that it would break all to pieces as soon as it was used. So he holds it again over the fire, and heats it a little, to take out a part of the temper, and make it just of the hardnesses that he wishes. An instrument that is very hard is called high-tempered; one that is very soft is low-tempered.

This is a good illustration of temper as it appears in us. A high temper is one that is easily excited, and that runs so high as to be in danger of doing great mischief. A low temper is a disposition easy and indifferent, like a knife tempered so little that the edge will turn the first time it is used. Now you want temper enough not to be indifferent, but not so much as to fly all in pieces. And I know nothing on which your usefulness and happiness more depend, than in the proper regulation of your temper; and not your own happiness alone, but the happiness of all around you. One of the first and greatest moral lessons is, to learn to control your temper. "He that is slow to anger," says Solomon, "is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city."  But, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls." By indulging an ungoverned temper, you expose yourself to many evils. You show the weak points of your character, and lose the good opinion of others, and your own self-respect. You cannot help thinking meanly of yourself after having broken out in a sudden gust of anger, or given indulgence to a peevish, fretful spirit. To be ill-humored, peevish, or cross, is to be unhappy, and to make others unhappy. But a sweet temper will not only make you happy, but like the balmy breezes of a summer evening, it will shed a sweet fragrance all around you. Nothing will render your character more unlovely than ill-temper."

-Harvey Newcomb, How to be a Lady

A Birthday for a Beloved Daughter

My sweet firstborn turned 5 today!  It's so hard for me to believe that 5 years have come and gone since I had Davina... I am now truly beginning to understand why my mom always said that life just flew by once she started having children!
Davina is my little miss "happy spirit," she gets so much joy out of helping her mommy, and she is such a delight to my heart! She has reached the age where we have so many fun conversations together, and her pure love for the Lord continually draws and reminds me to have a childlike faith. Our precocious little firstborn has given us many a good laugh, and too many memories to possibly ever remember. Isaac has recently begun having us go through Spurgeon's catechism booklet at family worship each night, and Davina's little "thing" of late is to sit down in Isaac's office with the booklet and "quiz" daddy on his catechisms. It is so much fun to watch!  We're having her "big birthday party" with Isaac's family next week, but I thought I'd share pictures of her from over the years.

One week old

6 months old with Aunt Hannah

First birthday, first cake

Turning 2...

Terrific Two's

Three!

Four!

Five!

The new diet and a little yumminess

As I mentioned before, I've had to change some of my eating habits in the past month. During the past 7 years of marriage, I've had 4 miscarriages and 3 healthy pregnancies (not counting my current pregnancy.) Between the miscarriages, an increasing amount of food allergies, and an extremely lowered amount of energy, I finally decided to go last month and visit the nutritionist that my sister has been seeing.  Boy was I in for a shock! :)
After dozens of tests, she informed me that my hormone levels weren't where they should be during pregnancy, my body was "eaten up" with Candida, I was almost entirely depleted of minerals, I had virtually no digestive enzymes, my ph levels were off, and I tested positive for food allergies to: corn, wheat, black beans, peanuts, pistachios, citrus fruits, mushrooms, potatoes, chicken, dairy, rice milk, white rice, yeast, and all sugars.  Once I had my list of foods to avoid, my nutritionist gave me quite a few different supplements and homeopathic things to get my body back on track.  I've been following everything pretty strictly for the past month (with a few cheats) and I feel SO much better! 

The hardest part of everything has been trying to find substitutions for bread and occasional sweets.  Since I can't have corn, potatoes, or sugar, most gluten-free mixes and recipes don't work for me. I have found 1 or 2 breads at Whole Foods that I can have, but they're quite on the pricey side. :)  So for the first while, I've been just basically eating lots of fruit, veggies, and protein. Since I'm eating a good bit of fruit I don't think I'm in danger of being too "low carb" for pregnancy, but boy have I missed bread and sweets!  Today, however, I happened on an incredible gluten free recipe blog where I found a recipe that the girls helped me make this afternoon.... and boy, am I a happy camper!  I've always been a big chocolate lover, but I've had to give it up since even the darkest chocolate I can find is sweetened with sugar. These Chocolate Orange Truffles are sweetened with agave nectar, and are oh so delectably yummy!  I've always loved dark chocolate, and these would have definitely been a hit even before I had to change my diet around.

Elana even has a bread recipe that looks incredible, which I'm going to try as soon as I can get my hands on some almond flour. And my new friend Amy Ellen has been so kind as to pass on several yummy recipes using coconut flour... just look at this muffin recipe! So, I can't really say I'm deprived anymore.... because most of the foods I'm experiencing now are just as good or better than what I was eating before! I can probably still claim "restaurant challenged" though! *grin*

Hiding Place

I have a tendency to get "stuck" on certain songs that really speak to me and end up listen to them for weeks...  my current song of choice is a hymn that was written by Daniel Herbert, a reformed Baptist pastor somewhere around 1814. Jars of Clay released a cd in 2005 called Redemption Songs, and on it they recorded this hymn.  I found it today on youtube, and thought I'd share. The lyrics are wonderful... I especially love this part: "But when Thy spirit shines within, Makes me feel the plague of sin, And how I long to see Thy face, 'Tis then I want a hiding place."

Amidst the sorrows of the way
Lord Jesus, teach my soul to pray
Let me taste Thy special grace
And run to Christ, my hiding place
You know the vileness of my heart
So prone to act the rebel's part
And when You veil Your lovely face
How can I find a hiding placeHiding place, hiding place
Lord, guide my wandering feet
Draw me to Thy mercy seat
I've nought to trust but sovereign grace
Thou only art my hiding place
How unstable is my heart
Sometimes I take the tempter's part
And slight the tokens of Thy grace
And seem to want no hiding place
Hiding place, hiding place
But when Thy spirit shines within
Makes me feel the plague of sin
And how I long to see Thy face
'Tis then I want a hiding place
Lord Jesus, shine and then I can
Feel sweetness in salvation's plan
And as a sinner plead for grace
Christ, the sinner's hiding place
And as a sinner plead for grace
Christ, the sinner's hiding place