18 weeks

Baby Gilboy, how we love you!

18 weeks have passed with you inside my belly.

I feel you kick and squirm, forming inside my womb.

May you feel the love of your Heavenly Father even now as you are being knitted together in the secret place.

May you be anointed with power and vision to serve your Creator King and love Him passionately!

We are waiting anxiously for your appearance into this world. Your mother and father love you so very much, and your big sister glows with excitement at the mention of YOU!

You are loved little one. You are loved.

Family and rest

I've not been a very good blogger the past two weeks. This is mainly due to the fact that we don't have internet where we are staying at my parents' house... but also partly due to the fact that we are having way. too. much. fun. doing. anythingandeverything.

We've been doing so many fun things I don't even know where to start or what to say. My favorite activities have been:

1. Watching Sitora dance in the prayer room (we are staying by the International House of Prayer which has prayer and worship going 24/7 every single day).

2. Taking Sitora to the movie theater and letting her hold a ridiculously huge box of popcorn all by herself. I won't mention how disgustingly dirty the place was. Go figure. It only cost 2 dollars a ticket. I guess their profits don't cover cleaning up urine from the floor or sticky who-knows-what off the armrests. But 2 1/2 year olds don't notice that kind of stuff so it didn't hinder her enjoyment one bit!

3. Getting a $6.00 purse from the consignment store next to the dollar theater. I hung it on my arm and in the hustle and bustle of getting Sitora out of the store before she broke anything, I forgot to pay. I walked into the theater and glanced down at my unpaid-for purse and screamed. I raced back to the store and nearly collapsed on the counter explaining my forgetfulness to the cashiers. They laughed and thanked me in shock for returning to pay. Oh this pregnancy brain!

4. Having my husband return from deer hunting with the news of getting a buck! Oh venison meat, how I have missed thee. Thou shalt taste like sweet honey in my mouth-eth.

5. Watching my parents enjoy their grandaughter and giving this mommy some serious "time-outs" to be off the clock. Hmmm... maybe I won't leave. This babysitting gig really works to my advantage...

6. Feeling the baby kick up a storm inside my tummy! I'm only 18 weeks along but this kid can move! Seriously. If this is any sort of inclination to his/her future temperament then I am in for some serious sanity loss.

I now leave you with a darling picture of Sitora and her Uncle Chase playing on the ipad on Thanksgiving. He put her to bed. Isn't it adorable?

That time of year

It's that time of year again.

Deer season.

My man is way excited.

It's crazy to think that in old times husbands actually had to kill animals for their families' livelihoods. Nowadays it's a bit of sport and necessity mixed together. The guys butcher the deer themselves and we eat the venison meat all throughout the year. It really does taste amazing, if I may add.

Since being overseas for two years my husband missed out on this opportunity. That's why this year is truly special. I think it's awesome that he gets to bond with his Dad and brothers and also get some good quality alone time with Father out in the wilderness.

But I will miss him.

It's weird though, how much more we appreciate life after living in a hard place. So many people complain about trivial things here, or think their lives are so hard. We're just thankful to see green grass and go through a Walmart isle. I don't know when this honeymoon stage of thankfulness will wear off... and to be honest I hope it never does.

I am more thankful this year than ever before. Not necessarily that we moved back to America, but just thankful for the blessings we have in this country. I think everyone from Western countries should travel to a poor country at least once in their lives. One time is all it takes to open your eyes to the horrors of poverty. All it takes is one time to open your eyes to the everyday blessings we take for granted in this country.

I am so overwhelmed with emotions lately. Maybe it's a mix of pregnancy hormones and culture shock, I'm not sure. But either way, this Thanksgiving season means more to me than it ever has before.

I challenge you to do something for someone else this Thanksgiving season. Something hard and out of your comfort zone. Something that matters to someone else. Something sacrificial. For when we look outside ourselves, we realize that it's not about us, it's about Him.

I miss you

Grandpa, I miss you.

I wish you were here so I could tell you all the funny things Sitora has been saying lately. I would give her the phone so she could count to 20 for you.

I want to hear about the weather and what you think of the latest news. I want to tell you about our job options. I want to laugh about the latest Packer game with you and talk about the plays that I actually understood.

I want to make plans to see you for the next holiday. I want to tell you Happy Thanksgiving and remind you how thankful I am for a Grandpa like you. I want to bake you cookies and send them to you for Christmas just like I always used to (and you know I wouldn't use chocolate chips, because I know you don't like chocolate).

I want to hear your voice and talk to you for real. It's so difficult looking at your pictures knowing I can't speak to you anymore. I don't understand why you had to go...

I miss you.

Vintage Thanksgiving

Ok, I couldn't help myself. The kid crafts from yesterday were just "missing something". I racked my brain and figured it out.

They needed some vin-tage.

Thanks to good ol' google, I found the most adorable vintage Thanksgiving pictures to print out! I copied them on to a Publisher document (or you could use Word) so that I could put multiple copies on one page. After printing I cut them out so the girls could glue them onto their Thanksgiving cards.

I. love. them. Makes me want to be a Pilgrim, or at least put a bonnet on or something! Here they are... feel free to copy them for yourself!

Thanksgiving craft and cookies

When you have two little spunky girls and snow outside, sometimes you need some fun inside ideas to keep them occupied... (especially if they've already played their hearts out in the snow for the day).

I decided to buy some cheap craft items at Wal-Mart so they could make Thanksgiving cards for their family and friends. It was a huge hit! They giggled and laughed while they created their masterpieces. I told them it would be a great idea to place the cards next to their relatives' plates on Thanksgiving day. I know lots of creative mommas who make their own elegant placecards for Thanksgiving Day, but why not let the kiddos take a shot at it and save yourself some time? :)

What you need:

• Cardstock or scrapbooking paper cut into smaller card sizes
• Stickers
• Decorative ribbons
• Glue stick
• Crayons or colored pencils

Instructions:

• Cut out about 4 inch strips of the ribbons beforehand so the kids can easily glue them on themselves
• Have the kids write the name of the relative/friend who will receive the card
• Then tell them to glue on the ribbon, place the stickers, and write any other special Thanksgiving messages they can think of!

 Easy Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

• Spice cake mix
• One can pumpkin puree 
• One bag chocolate chips
• (Yes, you don't need eggs or butter!)
• Mix ingredients together
• Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Don't overbake.

And today I randomly selected the Wisconsin winner of a free photoshoot. It was Sarah W!!! Congrats Sarah :) Write me at javamammacasey at gmail or facebook me about when and where you want to do the photos. Here is Sarah's comment entry about her favorite Thanksgiving memory...

What a great idea Casey!! Some of my favorite Thanksgivings were spent at my Aunt's house. All of my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins were there - there were 11 kids and 8 adults. We spent the time eating and playing together. My Aunts house was huge and full of secret hiding spots - a kids hide-n-seek dream:) The memories seem so vivid to me because of the feelings they cause me to feel all over again. Feeling that my family was together and happy caused a feeling of safey and security that I hope to pass onto my own family.
Thanks!!
Sara W.

Snow!

We had our first real snow of the year today! Albeit it was just a tiny bit... but that didn't mean much to my 2 1/2 year old! To her, snow is snow. A few hours after writing this post the snow started up again! Woo hoo!

We all jumped up and down acting giddy and crazy.

Reminds me of childhood.

I want to see the world through my daughter's eyes. Childlike faith and joy, we could all use more of it.

A is for Apple

Since moving in with our in-laws, Sitora has had the privilege of watching Danny's mother homeschool her 7 year old daughter Sophia. Yes, Sitora's aunt is only 4 1/2 years older than her :)

She already knew how to count to 10 before we arrived here, but after watching Sophia doing school she can now count from 10 to 20! I didn't even have to teach it to her. She's known her alphabet for almost a year now, and she's finally starting to learn to recognize the letters.

I've known for a while that my daughter is smart... but then again... doesn't every mother think that? And I think it's wonderful- every child needs their mother to be their biggest fan! So I started seeing if she could memorize Bible verses. So far she's memorized four of them! It is so much fun having her recite her verses. But more than fun, it's helpful in our discipline. When she needs to share or obey, I can remind her of her verses and how they apply in that situation.

I went to Walmart the other week looking for some Pre-school books she could start working through. I finally have started to feel slightly normal again (still nauseous but no more throwing up). So I decided we'd jump into some school together! Today was our first official day of "school". Of course it's simple things but I love seeing Sitora grasp concepts about recognizing and writing her letters. Every time we finish a page I give her a high five and write in pen "Good job!" with a star on top. It feels like we are playing a game of teacher and student, I love it!

I didn't feel like grabbing my good camera so I just used a point-and-shoot on the counter for this shot. But isn't she adorable? She is so happy with herself! I think we are going to have a lot of fun together this year :)

The little things

Have you ever felt small? Not necessarily in the physical, vertically-challenged sort of way (all though I could totally identify with you there). But in the insignificant or unimportant sort of way? I think we all have at some point in our lives.

It can be difficult to feel worth something in a world that idolizes popularity and fame. If we're not on top of the world we can feel left out or forgotten.

I myself have felt this way at times. It comes and goes according to my circumstances. Some days I'm on the mountaintop, and boy does it feel good. But when those valleys come, boy does it feel bad.

After moving back from overseas, left with no job and no certain direction for the future, I have felt insignificant. I have grieved my place and purpose in Baku. I have had to run to Father to find my identity in Him alone once again. It's a lesson I keep learning over and over again. He is relentless for my heart and will stop at nothing to have all of me. My dreams are shattered and He offers His hand for me to hold. The question is, will I turn to Him for my everything or run after broken cisterns that never satisfy? A job will never satisfy the deepest longings in my heart. Despite the fact that I feel most alive when I am overseas serving in a poor country... I still need to find my worth in Father and not in what I am doing. And if He brings me back to America with more lessons in store for me to learn, then I will humbly obey.

The questions arise... "Who am I? What is my purpose now? Where will we go next?" haunt me constantly. I can't deny their existence. I may not have control over my destiny, but I do have control over my actions and response to my circumstances. Will I run to His throne for my daily bread instead of feeding off the satisfaction of work? Will I rest in His arms instead of twiddling my thumbs searching for my next move?

And then the simple question every mom asks herself arises... "Is being  just a mom enough?"

Whenever I look into the eyes of my little princess, I am reminded that it is. I don't have to have a glorious job "on the side" to complete myself. I know in due time Father will bring us to the place He has for us. In the meantime, I need to hand Him the reigns and let Him drive.

I opened my devotional book today and was struck by how timely the words were for me. Father has a way of doing that, doesn't He? May the words I read touch your heart the same way they touched mine...

His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"- Matthew 25:23

In our own lives, the small days will make us faithful in small things so we can be trusted later with big things. This is also the place where we learn to find our satisfaction not in the prophecy or promise but in Father. He must be the sole source of our identiy. Each of us starts in Bethlehem, finding our identity in Father and becoming faithful in small things. It would be much nicer, from a carnal perspective, to skip Bethlehem and go right to Zion. But the journey to our highest destiny starts with little responsibilities. It may mean being neglected, pushed aside, and ignored. But this significant season lays the foundation for success later on. it's an essential, inescapable part of the journey from which nobody is exempt, not even Father's Son. Both David and Father's Son had their small beginnings in Bethlehem, yet both were destined to rule with Father's authority. If the eternal King started in Bethlehem, so will anyone who follows Him. 

Family goodness

I love my in-laws. They are absolutely positively wonderful :)

My husband's sister and her family were in town and I just begged them to let me take their pictures.

Aren't you glad they said yes?

By the way, don't forget about my last post here... you can enter to win a free photoshoot with me simply by commenting below about your favorite Thanksgiving memory! Hurry, all entries must be in by this Wednesday, November 9th. 

Win a photoshoot!

It's that time again friends.. the time where I give you a chance to win a free photoshoot! I've been dying to have this contest since moving back to the states. Unfortunately this will only be open to my Wisconsin friends. I may have a contest for my Minnesota and Nebraska friends at a later date when I can travel to you... so stay tuned!

The rules of this contest are easy peasy. Simply comment below with your favorite Thanksgiving memory. I thought I'd start the month off to a thankful start :) Make sure you enter by this Wednesday, November 9th! I will randomly select one of the comments to win!

To kick start, I'll share my favorite Thanksgiving memory...

My parents always opened up our home to anyone in need of "family" for Thanksgiving. They wanted everyone to know they had a special place to come if they were lonely. But one particular Thanksgiving stands out in my heart among the rest. One year my mom signed us up serve dinner at our local homeless shelter. We spent Thanksgiving day serving others instead of staying comfy inside our home together. Thank you Mom for instilling compassion in my heart and for being an example of selfless love.

Now it's your turn :) You could end up like this family who won a free shoot with me a few months ago!

Preggo style

Just because I'm preggo doesn't mean I have to look fat.

I am bound and determined to still look cute even though the pounds keep comin'.

Layers. Lots of layers. This is my secret. And if it's not working, don't tell me. I'll just pretend it is :)

I'm ecstatic to have another Gilboy baby swimming around in my stomach... I'm starting to feel the flutters and it thrills me to no end :)

By the way, Sitora is convinced the baby is a girl. I'm hoping we can find out soon... until then the mystery continues...

She's a ham

... and I like it that way :)