Bea the first six weeks

Beatrice Lou Rader

 Its been two very sweet weeks around here since this munchkin arrived...

Born May 18th at 9:25 pm

8lbs 12 oz

20.5 in

Came so quickly the doctor didnt make it....(that story in another post)

We're in love!

Stay posted for more pics of our early days with Bea....

Mama needs a nap!

 

Luci turns SIX!

 The celebrating started at G&G Estle's with cupcakes.....

 And then we came home and celebrated again with a requested owl cake, and

bestie Lucy came over for the birthday dinner of BLT's and fruit salad...another request:)

Sweet Lucille, we cant believe you are six.

You are growing into such a sweet young lady with your caring demeanor and goofy sense of humor. I love to see you reading, writing out phonetic messages to us, and creating beauty wherever you go!
Your sweet spirit is a gift to us all and we thank God for you!

 Your recent note to me, translated: "Pleae find a rubberband because I cant find one."

 

 

 We gave you a scooter for your birthday, but your real gift...what you really wanted came a few weeks later in the form of a sister. Watching you two together makes my heart very happy, I must say.

The story of the last few months

Yes, I know, its been a few months since my last post...but I make no apologies. In the time I've been absent from this space, a really great story has been unfolding in our lives...one I look forward to telling in my next few posts.

Hum...where to begin? Let me take you on a little walk down my Instagram memory lane....

Well, I'll start with the obvious. Ive been growing a baby.

I'm days away from my due date now, and its starting to set in that this kiddo is coming out to meet us sooner than later. The anticipation is building around here for sure!

And then there is that old house project we have going on....its been a tad bit consuming...

Before......                                                                    After...........

From this.....                                                                               To this........

 

Not to mention selling and packing up the old house and moving....

And then there is the part about us waiting, and waiting, and waiting (sometimes very impatiently) for AJ to land a new job....(which he has, thank you Lord!)


There are lots of little stories embedded in a much bigger STORY, but this is a good start. Stay tuned for the rest of our adventures...I promise, you won't have to wait two months:)

The (other) BIG Project

My last post started to explain my blogging absence, but I left out the part about having debilitating migraines fairly often for the first 22 weeks. It was a severe flashback to my first pregnancy! Thankfully, I seem to be through most of that and all is well. Im heading into the third trimester feeling good and very thankful to (hopefully) put those migraines behind me.

While growing our baby has been the primary project around here, there have been a few other significant things going on. And one of them is pictured above. Meet our "new" big wide porch residence. You'll be hearing much more about her and there will be some shocking before and after pictures in the next month or so. This house and property are a bit of urban paradise. We had been keeping our eye out for a house in the neighborhood where we recently helped plant our school, The Oaks Academy Brookside. And this beauty popped onto the market with (virtually) all the criteria we had hoped and prayed for. The busy weeks that followed our accepted offer included finding a contractor to rehab and restore her, putting our current house on the market, selling our current house in 8 days, and putting some sweat equity into the "new" place. Not to mention keeping up with all the rest of our normal life and commitments.

Each step of the way we've seen the Lord's hand providing and caring for us in amazing ways.

On one hand we are weary, but on the other, we are renewed.

So many have asked why we would take all of this one while expecting a baby, while AJ seeks a new job.....and the answer is easy. We felt led to. For two first-born's, abandoning logical reasoning and taking it all on is a big deal. We never would have just a few short years ago. But we're seeing the Lord stretching us, asking us to trust in new ways, and showing us that His provision isnt dependent on us doing everything the "right" way. We are only asked to trust. And though we dont do it perfectly, this journey has been one of grace and abundant provision.

Linked up with Gracelaced. Mondays!

Quatro

 For all four of my faithful blog readers, Im tempted to start this post with an apology.

I've neglected our family blog for many many months.

But, I promise, I will not give up...and will do my best to keep this thing alive!

As for my absence, I can attest that it is in part the result of the this beauty taking up residence in

my womb these past (almost) six months.

Here she is at 9 weeks:

And again at 22 weeks.

And yes, I said SHE. (I have another ultrasound shot to prove it.)

This finding out the gender stuff is new to us. We were motivated by our lovely daughter who wants a sister more than almost anything. We gifted her with an extra 20 weeks of pure delight knowing thats exactly what the Lord has given. We're all pretty darn excited to meet her. And for the record, most of us were asking for a girl. Jonas, so that teams would be even. Mama, so that 1) her Luci would have her heart's desire and 2) to make bedroom logistics easier. Elliott, well, he goes back and forth. And Dada....well, that man is easy to please. He would have smiled either way.

There is much more to update you on of course, but since Im over half way through my pregnancy,

I thought this was a good start:)

Record of 2012 Reads

I've never kept track of my reading before, but after being inspired by some other bloggers, I tried to keep a list this past year. Im pretty sure I've forgotten a couple, but here is the list....

• Sense and Sensibility- Austin
• Why Gender Matters- Leonard Sax
• Getting Anger Under Control-Neil Anderson
• Short Stories by Flannery O'Connor
• Hunger Games- Collins
• Cutting for Stone- Verghese
• Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocost- Lligabiza
• Gut and Psychology Syndrome- Campbell-McBride
• Girl with the Dragon Tatoo- Larsson
• Book of the Dun Cow- W. Wangrin
• Sarah's Keys- T. deRosnay
• The Life Model- Friesen, Wilder, and Koepcke

And a couple re-reads....

• The Doula book-
• The Birth Partner

Obviously, I read as much non-fiction as fiction...I enjoy both...and obviously, I dont get too much read. Since my reading time is mainly before bed, Im lucky to get a few pages read before falling asleep! Hope to find more space to read in the coming year. Several of these books were really popular in the past few years, and they are those I liked the least...including Hunger Games and The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. Both were engaging, but I didnt walk away with the feeling that my time
was well spent or invested in them. I was left wanting more....substance I suppose.

With that said, have any books you think are must reads for my coming year? I'd love to know!
Im starting off reading The Hobbit aloud with Jonas and with a recommended Jasper Fforde Tuesday Next novel. Suggestions???