39 Weeks and Counting

Well, it's pretty obvious that I have been LESS than stellar about taking pregnancy pics this time around... like I MAYBE have a dozen and a half! My intentions are good... but then I'm either too lazy to set up the tripod or I see myself in the pics and cringe!

So as a result... this baby will only see what her preggo mama looked like to a small degree!

My best friend Jen and I have an annual tradition of attending a local women's retreat together, and this year Jen made it clear we were using a bit of our free time to take some pregnancy pics! I might have whined a tad bit, but I'm SO THANKFUL that we were able to document this amazing time in life! And... I'm kicking myself for simply not taking ONE picture a week! Oh well...

Let me be clear that it is hard for me to be a model... very, very hard. In my "previous life" (AKA before kids!) I had no quams about being in front of the camera, and could actually take a decent picture! But for some reason kiddos have changed that and I look like a loon every time the shutter goes! That being said... this is the only full face shot of the bunch! Not because Jen didn't take more, but because well... just because!

So here ya go... 

The classic heart pic... which makes me smile!

We took these pictures in September, and I thought "Oh, I haven't grown THAT much..." but as you'll later see, yes... indeed I have! :)

And this next shot is one of my favorites... a slight view of what it's like from the top!

Again, thank you Jen... I really appreciate it!

For months now the girls have taken to kissing "the baby" on a very regular basis. In the morning when they wake up, when we're playing together, when they're laying their heads on my belly as we read books, when I'm washing their faces after a meal, before nap time, before bed time... on a regular basis is not an understatement!

Here's MY recent view of the oldest little kisser!

And the inevitable "Does baby like it when I give her kisses?" question! :)

Jen was over for lunch last week and simply said "march to the end of the hall young lady!" :) 

I gotta say... I FEEL that big, but had no idea I actually looked it!
39 weeks and counting... Mama's ready for ya baby Kreiser! 

Sisters

Siblings fight. It just seems to come with the territory and our gals are no different. 

BUT... the bond of friendship that is starting to form between them simply makes me sigh and smile! All these pictures were taken over the last week or so. Nothing planned or staged... just several "Hey girls!" then quickly click - moments. 

I never wished I had a sister growing up or felt deprived by not having one... but after having two girls I can see why sisters have such a close bond! They are an automatic built in best friend!! And when we add another little lady to this here mix... and one best friend turns into TWO... well, let's just say that these loves are super duper blessed!!

Sporting a New Look...

Some of you may have noticed that Alia's sporting a new look.... though we wouldn't mind the "old look" back!

See that scare above her right eye?

Sadly, it's been there for a couple of weeks now and looks like it might be staying with us for awhile longer.

She had a topple as she was climbing up (or down? For the life of me I still can't figure out how it all happened exactly!) the step ladder and found something sharp to come in contact with along the way. Thankfully Jon was home and came running towards the screams. As you may know head wounds produce A. LOT. of blood... and frankly, I don't do well with blood when it's coming from my offspring. Someone else's kid? Sure... I can handle it. But my kid? Goodness, I become a frantic chicken with her head cu... umm, anyhow! Jon was a firefighter for 5 years and automatically goes into first responder mode when it comes to emergency situations. Which, I must say, is way more useful than the mode I go into!

After several hours of contemplating, we decided it was too deep to leave alone and mosied on down to ER for them to take a closer look. Sure enough it needed either glue or stitches... and after a serious request for glue, that's what we ended up with. (The thought of them stitching up Alia's forehead left me greatly nauseous... to say the least!) I was so glad to have Nana Betty along with me (Jon stayed home with sleeping Larren) and Alia was thrilled to have the two of us all to herself! She mentioned a couple of times how much fun it was! :)

That's when I decided that more one on one dates were in order! A trip to ER just shouldn't be that exciting!

Come on Babe

We've been looking at this picture of our little girl for the last couple of months now...

... and ya know... I am READY to meet her already!!

Come on babe... you've got lots of people wanting to give you hugs, kisses, and lovin' galore! (Namely two big sisters who ask EVERY day when they get to see you!) We're not such a scary bunch.... loud (as you can attest!)... but fun none the less! I know, I know... you love keeping us all waiting in suspense, but we're the game isn't as thrilling as it once was! And it's not even COLD yet... trust me, my love... now is a better time to arrive than when winter officially comes to the prairies! Plus, rumor has it that one of your favorite aunties is having a birthday today... and she'd be delighted to have a sweet little birthday twin to share it with!

Doughnuts and Doll Diapers

This morning I had the pleasure of going on a date with my oldest little lady and it was an ab-sol-ute TREAT! I positively enjoyed every minute of it!

We went out for "coffee" in the morning... a.k.a. chocolate milk... 

... and then made our way to the town's annual craft sale! Alia and I went last year, so she knew what to expect. After our Timmy's stop, she said "Hurry Mommy... we need to find the quickest way to the craft show!" Needless to say, she had been looking forward to it for quite some time! :)

We did lots of hand holding, browsed every table, played in the new indoor play area, and bought several items. Some were great finds and some well... weren't!

My conclusion is that I'm a sucker for craft shows. It's kinda like an auction for me. I get wrapped up in the moment and end up bringing things home that I never would have if I wasn't "under the influence!" 

Our final tally for the morning included: 4 doll diapers, 2 homemade fridge magnets, a hair clip holder, a container of homemade salve, and Alia's favorite find of the day... lego shaped glycerin soap.

I have to say... I'm already looking forward to our date when next year's craft show rolls around!! And will definitely be stocking up on glycerin soap... :)

Sugar Cookies with a Smile... and LOTS of Sprinkles :)

Instead of spending Halloween at home handing out candy, we head into town for our churches "Hallapalooza" candy carnival! But we don't leave our 3 trick-or-treaters disappointed... no, no!

We set out a bucket of candy on the verandah with the unspoken request to help themselves! Year after year we are always surprised with how much candy is left... but this time around we either got more participation than in years previous, or a couple of kiddos LOADED up! :) We happened to be home when the last group came (upping our total to at least 6!) and because Jon doesn't want "extra candy" in the house... generous handfuls were given, to say the least!

This year the idea of cookie costumes popped into my head. Originally I was going to make one snickerdoodle cookie (with lots of glitter and sparkles as the cinnamon/sugar) and one sugar cookie with pink frosting and sprinkles... but because both girls love pink, it just seemed fitting to make their costumes matching! Alia & Larren enjoyed helping me cut out the felt and put the pins away as I sewed the costume together... but the real highlight was the SPRINKLES! And needless to say, we went a little overboard in that department! :)

First up... a stop by Nana Betty & Papa Ron's for a little costume modeling! They had treats for the girls (of course!) and treats for Mom & Dad too! We ended up having an impromptu "appetizer party" in their front entrance and then were on our merry to the carnival!

We started out with a hot dog supper... 

... which proved to be quite a lengthy affair for the girls. There was just so much other fun stuff to be distracted by!

And then... finally... the games could begin!

Since the bean bag toss station was right next to our dining accommodations, we hit that one up first. Alia got the concept with no problems...

... but to Larren...

... it was just a walk in the park! Simply walk the bags up to the hole and drop 'em in... no sweat!

Next up... fishing! (And this was the kind of fishing that Daddy was more than happy to participate in!)

Moving right on to the Frisbee toss...

... and again, to Larren this whole carnival thing was just too easy!

We made our way over to N.'s station and she decided to give Larren a few pointers!

Larren just couldn't figure out why no one else did things her way...

Let's try it again, shall we?

Nope...

Sweet N. gave her a hug and some candy anyhow! :)

When asked what her favorite event was... bowling clearly won in Alia's books!

Regular bowling just won't have the same delight after this version!

After our bowling extravaganza we mozied on over to the gummy worm eating station... with a twist!

Next up... twinkle toes.

Our lovely lady has surprisingly good toe coordination! She picked up all the rocks and put them in the bowl with little effort. A useful gift to have? Questionable! Though it does warrant candy, so that's worth something!

The girls spotted the baby food eating station and, with all the baby talk around our house, wanted to give it a whirl!

Doesn't seem so bad...

... until the taste buds do some registering!

The next sample wasn't much better!

Alia's verdict was that candy wins over baby food every time... but that didn't detour little sister from trying! She would have come back for more, had we let her!

We made a quick dash to the penny toss...

... and then headed to the sanctuary for a teaching time on "Blessing Your Child". It was REALLY good... though our little ones were definitely ready for more action and less paying attention!

And... keeping up with tradition (here's last years pics!)... we were running late and weren't able to get costume pictures before we arrived at the church. So... just like last year... these are "documentation pics" at best! We're winning no awards with these 'uns! :)

Here we have the "opposites attract" pic...
big sister = seriously, more pictures and little sister = YAY, more pictures!

And here we have the "Yeah, we are so done with this and just want to eat some candy" pic.

So there ya have it. Two sugar cookies, high on sugar, that are as sweet as can be!

100% Love, 100% of the Time

My quiet time this morning was one of those "just what I needed to hear" kind of moments. Over the last couple of months I have realized just how much I've replaced a relationship with a religion. I have been more focused on DOING for God, than on simply BEING in Jesus presence... getting to know Him on a deeper level. How often I have blocked "out" God's love for me because of my "less than steller" performance... and then gotten frustrated that He's not speaking to me... when all the while His Love hasn't changed. I have. And... He's YEARNING to simply envelope me in His loving arms... whether I'm choosing to pursue Him, or ignore Him.

Here's a glimpse into my reading this morning...

"Unconditional Love is such a radical concept that even My most devoted followers fail to grasp it fully. Absolutely nothing in heaven or on earth can cause Me to stop loving you. You may feel more loved when you are performing according to your expectations. But My Love is perfect; therefore it is not subject to variation. What does vary is your awareness of My loving Presence.

When you are dissatisfied with your behavior, you tend to feel unworthy of My Love. You may unconsciously punish yourself by withdrawing from Me and attributing the distance between us to My displeasure. Instead of returning to Me and receiving My Love, you attempt to earn My approval by trying harder. All the while, I am ACHING to hold you in My everlasting arms, to enfold you in My Love. When you are feeling unworthy or unloved, come to Me. Then ask for receptivity to My unfailing Love."

(an excerpt from the book "40 Days with Jesus : Celebrating His Presence" by Sarah Young)

Psalm 13:5 & 6 - "But I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because He is good to me."

This message called "The Inheritance" by Graham Cooke is oh so powerful.
Every.single.time. I watch it I am blown away by our God. SOAK in these words. Let them penetrate to those hard, unbelieving places of your heart. Let this truth replace lies believed and bring freedom to areas of fear, bondage, and rejection.

Be encouraged today that it's not about our performance... it's about the crazy, intense, unfathomable love of our Father.