His Latest Achievement

All Together

We're home from our whirlwind trip to Illinois for my grandmother's funeral. I'm so glad we were able to go and spend time with my family, remembering Grandma and celebrating her life as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend, and child of God. Family was so important to her and I think it meant a lot to her children that so many of her family could gather around to celebrate her life and miss her together.
Saturday morning we made a big breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy. It was the kind of breakfast Grandma made for us when we went to visit at her house. As my parents and aunts and uncles, great-aunts, cousins, and children of cousins filled the kitchen and laughed over our meal, I thought how much Grandma would love this. And then I remembered that she is in heaven, worshipping our God and surrounded by all the saints who have gone before, and even this-- this family gathering that brings me so much joy-- does not compare with Glory.

Where O Death is Now Thy Sting?

"Christ the Lord is risen today,"
Sons of men and angels say.
Raise your joys and triumphs high!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply.


Vain the stone, the watch, the seal,
Christ has burst the gates of hell.
Death, in vain, forbids his rise,
Christ has opened paradise.


Lives again our glorious King!
Where, O death, is now thy sting?
Once he died, our souls to save.
Where thy victory, O grave?


Soar we now where Christ has led
Foll'wing our exalted Head.
Made like Him, like Him we rise,
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.


Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to Thee by both be given.
Thee we greet triumphant now!
Hail, the Resurrection, thou! Alleluia!


- Charles Wesley, 1739


My grandma went to be with the Lord yesterday after a long battle with lung cancer. She loved God and her family and her neighbors. She took great comfort in the Word of God and had peace in the last days of her life, knowing that Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, and today she worships God in his heaven.

Give the people what they want

Here are some more pictures

Baby Clarence is here!

Clarence Daniel was born at 5:26 pm on Monday, December 8. He weighed 10 lbs, 10 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. We thank our good God for his mercy and tender care over our family as Baby Clar came into the world. His heartbeat stayed strong throughout the entire labor and he has been nothing but a joy to us since his birth.

I had a complication from the epidural and have been suffering from a "spinal headache" since Tuesday night. I was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon but went back in Thursday for a procedure to provide relief from the headache. It helped some, but not all the way, and so I've spent most of my time since Baby Clar was born flat on my back. They say the rest of the problem should fix itself within a week of the epidural, so in the meantime I'm waiting with pain medication and loving family to help me. We are so thankful for Jerri, Luke's mom, who has been with us since Thanksgiving. She cared for Ellie while we were in the hospital and continues to take care of all of us now that we're home. We're also thankful that my mom flew in from Boston and came straight to the hospital yesterday. There's just something about having a mommy there when you're getting stuck with more needles! Luke's dad also worked a business trip so he could go home through Albuquerque, so he was able to come to the house today and see his grandson, and will drive back home with Jerri tomorrow. We are blessed beyond measure!

Ellie loves her baby brother already. She doesn't want to hold him all the time, but she's always excited to see him when she wakes up and she's very possessive of her baby.

Baby Clarence had his first post-hospital checkup today. He's gained back almost all of the weight he lost in the hospital and is doing everything a newborn should do. We are looking forward to sharing him with more of you, especially our church family, but we're going to wait a few more days to have visitors so I can enjoy the visits, too!

Thanks to everyone who waited with us and prayed with and for us as we waited for Baby Clarence to arrive and in the last few days. We're so thankful for our son!

We're Off to Have a Baby

Luke and I are headed to the hospital to have a baby. I'm very nervous and excited!

A December Baby?!

No, I am not in labor.

I wish I were! But Baby has decided he likes the idea of a December birthday, so here we are. Since I'm over a week past my due date, we go in for regular checks every 3 days or so. They monitor his heart rate and my (non) contractions, and then check out amniotic fluid levels with the ultrasound machine. Our checkup Saturday went great and we'll have another one tomorrow. And although I was originally scheduled to be induced this Thursday, my excellent midwife rescheduled us for Sunday evening, just to give our little guy a few more days to come into the world all on his own. Until then, I'm walking, drinking my water, and praying for the health and safe delivery of this obviously patient and content baby. If only his mommy were more patient and content!