The New Baby will be....

The new baby will be... A Surprise! The tech. said that it was a girl or a boy depending on the angle she looked. So... Come the end of April we will know. This baby is healthy/"normal" !
The first picture is a profile with the baby's head on the left side. Notice his/her mouth is slightly open. Baby's arm is by its side.









In this picture baby is resting his/her arm across his/her body. Its right leg is pulled so the knee is visible.

Baby's on the way

I do not have a face to see, or put inside a frame.

I do not have soft cheeks to kiss, I don't yet have a name.

You can't hold my tiny hands, nor whisper in my ears. Its still too soon to sing a song or cuddle me so near.

But all will change come April 22 when they say I'm due. I am your new son or daughter I can not wait to meet you!

All I ask between now and then, is your patience while I grow. I promise I'll be worth the wait, because of the love we'll know.

So as you are waiting patiently, please pray a lot of prayers for me. I can not wait to be a part of this wonderful family!

Thanksgiving Pictures

Mother

We mothers can be illogical at times. This was a priceless forward from my Aunt. I hope I can raise my children with out quite so much of this logic.
MY MOTHER

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, ! that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13.. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY .
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Family is the Most Important Asset

There is so much hate, dysfunction, and evilness in this world. It would seem to me that the only security we have is in each other; however, too often the people we love the most, we also hurt the most due to our own imbalanced dysfunction. Why do we do this? We need eachother--we need family, we need best friends, we need vulnerability, we need emotions, we need spiritual guides, beacons, to direct our feet onto the healthiest path in the midst of chaos.

That is why I have decided I like children--or rather, Lucas. His utter simplistic nature, the beauty in his smile toward perfect strangers, his free-loving and free-giving spirit. You can swoop up little Lucas and his smile can shatter any shred of coldness within my heart, and bring out the rainbow of emotions in my soul. It is a beautiful thing to see his still-unsure legs toddle him around, his wee finger point at something, and his baby voice try to tell you something. He reminds me of a little Homer Simpson when he says, "D'oh!" repeatedly.

How did we ("we" as in the sense of the whole of humanity, and yes, sometimes myself) become the people we are? Bitter and jaded at times, stressed out, unhealthy, lonely, guarded with walls fifty feet thick around our hearts, and yes, self-destructive on too many occasions, blowing up safeguards meant to help, not to harm.

Fortunately, our family and extended family is amazing, considering all the bad things around us. Being here on a hippy island with crazy people has made me see the beauty in family, and the need for family. I could use an unconditional hug right now, an affirming pat on the head, a stroke on the back, and someone saying how much they love me. I know my family does love me, but the closest ones are oh, 7.5 hours away, IF the ferry isn't late and IF the ferry doesn't stop at two islands. Then it would be over 8 hours.

We have had such good times together. I recently found this picture of Rachel and I from back in the year 2000. My, how life has deviated from our original idyllic plans! I have decided not to regret my past, but to embrace it and consciously let it change me into a better person. But this picture, this picture makes me smile. Pre-marriage, pre-children, pre-life's garbage for me.

Now I sit in my living room, a storm raging outside, the rain pouring, the wind smashing, and the fish in the tank are staring at me begging for food. It is lonely here, but it is also good to explore myself and figure somethings out on my own.

But family is the most important asset I will ever have in my life, and today this thought is like a warm flame keeping my heart from joining the storm outside.

I love all of you so terribly much, and I cannot wait for Thanksgiving to roll around so I can be wrapped up in our family warmth of goodness towards one another.

L'Chaim! To Life!
Jen

Safety Conscious

Lucas

Trying


On

Daddy's Helmet.
































He also put on a "helmet" while riding his four-wheeler.
He's 17 months old today!

Tabernacles

Here I am with Daddy. On the first day or Tabernacles we made a trek to the mountains to choose and cut a Tabernacles tree.
You can see that Daddy doesn't believe in an old fashioned ax or saw. We got to use the chainsaw!





















Here I am with Mommy on the second holiday of Tabernacles. I'm opening some puzzles that are meant for little people like me!



























I have a vocabulary of at least 20 different words now. Average for 18 months is 8-10 words. I'll be 17 months this week. I have 11 teeth now. I'm working on my last 1 year old molar. Its almost there. I've learned the word NO recently. At least it wasn't my first word!
Mom is really working on manners with me. I don't throw my food on the floor anymore. I also say please ( peas) and thank you (ank oo). I don't think any of my friends use those words.