Tender Mercies

Today I felt downhearted and discouraged. Last night Mystery Man and I were awake on and off over a period of 5 hours (1:30 onward) trying to diagnose a crackling sound in the wall behind our headboard. We decided it must be carpenter ants. Since the beginning of May, we have seen 1-5 black carpenter ants in the house, but have hoped they were just foraging from the yard. Sometimes carpenter ants form a satellite colony within the walls of a home, which seems to be the source of the noise in our wall. The ants bore through the wood of the studs in the walls, thereby weakening the structure of the home. Yes, a demoralizing situation.

When things go wrong, I tend to look back at the other hardships I've faced. In the past few months I have dealt with a flooded basement, our kids misbehaving at church for about 4 straight months (oh, so stressful, especially when other children seem to be angelic), terrible headaches (I'm happy to say I haven't had one for 5 days), exhaustion and a hectic life in general, etc. "Waaa!" I'm sure you're thinking. And you're right, my trials aren't that bad. We are so blessed with health and a steady income and many, many more things. Yet, during times like today, I find myself thinking to myself, perhaps also simultaneously pleading with God, "OK, enough. I'm ready for some ease and relaxation. Just for a while so I can regroup."

Sometimes it feels like there is no answer to these silent pleas for help, especially when the trials keep building up. But today, in the midst of getting estimates from exterminators and contractors, a dear friend called and said, "I feel like I need to bring you dinner." She knew nothing of the ants. I was awestruck. I replied, "You must have been inspired from above, because you can't know how much I need this today." And such was the case.

I have sometimes wondered about the difference between blessings and tender mercies. Today, I received a tender mercy from the hands of my Father in Heaven. Through another of his daughters, He let me know He heard my plea for relief. Through the service of another, He helped me know once more that He is completely aware of every detail of my life and that He loves me.

Thanks, Stacy. Now this ant problem doesn't really seem so bad. "So what?" I found myself thinking as Mystery Man, our 4 children, and I enjoyed each other's company while eating a delicious dinner. "So what?" I continue thinking now as Mystery Man plays Chutes and Ladders with Silas and Ephraim while Lorelai and Azael splash in the bath. We are blessed.

I leave you with a thought that perfectly describes my experience:
"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs." -Spencer W. Kimball

Like Father, Like Daughter

I had fun taking these photos of Mystery Man and Lorelai eating popsicles today. They both ate their entire popsicle while watching one another. It was fun to observe how often their facial expressions matched.

Baby X Info

This Widget will be posted at the bottom of our webpage from now on, in case some of you want to keep up on our baby's (and my belly's) progress. Enjoy! We're excited for #5!

8 Kids for Dinner

This is what 8 kids under age 8 look like when eating a spaghetti dinner. The "extra" children are the Batemans, whose Mom was sick with an infection. Our kids had a blast playing with them. Stacy, their Mom, has been even busier than me with 4 kids six and under: RJ (6), Grace (5), Alex (3), and Benjamin (not yet 1). It's good to have fun friends!

Pain is Not for Me

I have permanent, round the clock headaches now. I have never really suffered from headaches all that often (in normal life or during pregnancy), so I am not an upbeat person right now. You hear stories of people who cheerfully handle their pain and trials. That's not me. Poor Mystery Man hears my complaininig daily. Sorry honey. Thanks for being awesome! Anyway...here are some photos of Lorelai I've collected lately. Plus one of me. Oh, and BJ: I do not take aspirin or ibuprofin. I have also not tried lilac essence. Any recommendations, anyone? I will try acupuncture soon, I think.

Lorelai wearing Ephraim's backback.

Lorelai in Ephraim's bed, listening to the Wee Sing CD.

My new apron, a FANTASTIC Mother's Day Gift from Mystery Man & kids. THANK YOU!

Lorelai is the bath.

Lorelai holding Jet, the 1-month-old baby of Juree, Tiffany's matron of honor in the wedding. She was enthralled with him. Guess she'll enjoy a new baby at our house.

The Wedding: A Good Time Was Had by All

Jeff (my brother) and Tiffany were married this past weekend. Everything was beautiful, especially the bride! (OK, the groom was handsome, too). It was nice to see so many friends and family members this weekend. Here are some photos for your enjoyment.

The rehearsal dinner. Mystery Man is seated at the right.

My grandmothers, parents, and brothers at the rehearsal dinner.

The day of the wedding dawned bright and beautiful. A good day ahead...

All the bridesmaids had their hair done at the bride's mom's house. Here is a photo of Tiffany and me. My weird expression was due to a headache (for reasons listed at the bottom of this post).

My Dad, his mother, and my mom's mother. I love my grandmas! They are beautiful women!
Ephraim (the ring bearer) and myself (a bridesmaid) outside the church before the wedding.

Jeff and my dad goofing around before the wedding.

My dad and Ephraim watching a video of Jeff and Tiffany before the wedding.

Mystery Man and me.

My Mom and me. My Mom is a very beautiful woman and I love her!

The mothers of the lucky couple (Tanna & Wanda)

The Groomsmen and Groom pose before the wedding with their fake mustaches. Nice.

Ephraim wanted to try it, too.

Jeff and Tiffany pose with the flower girl and ring bearer before the wedding.

Jeff and Tiffany are married! Welcome to the fam, Tiffany J.

Cutting the cake at the reception.

Dancing: pictured Silas and Ephraim surrounding the flower girl in white.

Mystery Man shows Lorelai some sweet moves...

Silas is getting giggy, along with Daddy & Lorelai.

Mommy & Ephraim get down...

Silas and Mommy. I think Silas was mad we wouldn't buy him another 7-up at this point.

Daddy and Lorelai, having a blast!

All the family on my Mom's side posing together. I love all these people! I love my Dad's side, too, but unfortunately we didn't get everyone together for a photo...

So a good time was had by all, as my home town newspaper would put it. :)

Oh, and the reason I had a perpetual headache: I'm pregnant. To those who thought I seemed "sad" or "depressed" or whatnot, I was sick! sick! sick! Due date: Veteran's Day '09. We didn't share our good news prior to the wedding because we didn't want to detract from Jeff and Tiffany's big day.

When I first met Mystery Man...

Jeff, my brother, is getting married to Tiffany this week. The "love in the air" has caused me to think about the days when Mystery Man and I first met. So I decided to write it all down for you.

When I first met Mystery Man, he was wearing an olive green German army jacket, sported an earring, had round John Lennon-type glasses, and he needed a haircut. At the time it seemed clear to me he was the rebel, hippy type. I was curious about him and interested in knowing him. I said, "Hi, I'm Jen." He said nothing. He literally stared at me for 2 seconds, then turned around and walked away. [His defense now: "Well, what was I supposed to do, when some girl I had never met just started talking to me?"]

Two weeks later I saw Mystery Man at church, seated next to another guy I kind of recognized. I sat between them. This time Mystery Man was completely different. His hair was combed, his earring was out, and he was wearing a white shirt and tie. How confusinig... I found out he spoke fluent German and, like me, served a mission in Germany. I discovered he was intelligent and I could easily carry on a conversation with him about anything. I also found out he liked to be "mysterious" (Mystery Man is a name that fits more than you know!). I could never figure out which mold he fit... probably because he fits no mold. His answers to basic questions were enigmatic, often half truths. He tells me now he wanted to maintain his privacy. In any case, I felt a strong attraction to him. Different than I'd ever felt with other "typical" guys.

Eventually I moved to Ames, Iowa for grad school. Mystery Man was also enrolled in grad school there and we began to "hang out." We both admit now we never even thought of the possibility of a serious relationship because I was taller/he was shorter. There was no pressure, which made "hanging out" purely fun. One day I invited him to come along to my parents' place in rural Iowa to ride the 4-wheeler and shoot my dad's semi-automatic rifle. Apparently he began to look at our relationship differently after that, because, as he said, "How many girls invite guys to do things like that?"

Mystery Man and I eventually married, now have 4 kids, and are living "happily ever after."

What are my 4 favorite things about Mystery Man?

1. Conversations with him are interesting. He is smart, so the conversations aren't shallow. He knows a little about every topic, so I enjoy talking to him. I am grateful every day that Mystery Man does not follow or discuss sports!

2. He's a great dad. Mystery Man has always said his #1 goal in life is to be a good father. He would have 10 kids if I could do it (sorry, I can't).

3. He has a humble, quiet, deep faith in God.

4. pure. animal. magnetism. I'm serious. I am just plain physically attracted to Mystery Man. Some people tritely talk about the "spark" still being there. We have fireworks.

This is Mystery Man now.

And just to be cheezy, here's a little statue I got when I was young. It looks just like Mystery Man and me. "Awwww..." Even more cheezy: one of our wedding photos is behind it.

"Double Awww.... "

I'll be back next week with photos of the newlyweds, the ring bearer (Ephraim), and one of the bridesmaids (me) dancing with Mystery Man. Oh, that reminds me: #5- Mystery Man loves to dance, and he's even hotter on the dance floor. *swoon*

Green Light Lunches

The kids found a book in their closet, which they loved a year ago but forgot about until today. It's called Eat Healthy, Feel Great and it helps kids understand the difference between green light foods (fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc), yellow light foods (crackers, cookies) and red light foods (soda, cotton candy).

I walked in the kitchen after my morning walk to find all 3 boys studying the book and picking out green light foods for their lunches. Notice how seriously they're taking this (see Ephraim's expression). It was pretty cute.

Happy Birthday, Dear Lorelai!

Lorelai turned 2 this week! Here she is with her 2-candled cake... Yum!

Azael wrapped Lorelai's 5 gifts... here she is unwrapping them.

Each gift was one of the Backyardigans beanie babies. She LOVED them!!!

Posing with Mommy and her 5 new best friends.

She was REALLY HAPPY!

And on day 2 since receiving them, the Backyardigans haven't left Lorelai's side much. She likes to carry them in a doll carrier. Here she is, trying to put them in the car.

Simple pleasures are the best!

Flowers for Mom

A wholesaler wanted me to sell their flowers on my website, so they sent me 12 longstem roses as a "sample" (or bribe). I loved them! They are even more perfect now after Ephraim added his own flowers. Check it out: