It's a boy :)

Hi everyone. I still haven't got it together enough to get pictures, but don't know when I will and didn't want to wait anymore. Michael and I went for our ultrasound on the 16th and though our little guy was shy for awhile and hiding behind his legs and the embilical cord, we finally saw his little parts. The technician went on an on about his healthy heart saying it was the best she'd seen that day. I like his cute little profile. Though we didn't get the 3d dvd, we do have a vhs of part of the ultrasound. Drinking the water and writhing in the waiting room for no reason was horrible, but seeing him real time through a window into my tummy was amazing. I loved watching and feeling him move at the same time. I'm at the beginning of my 24th week now and am feeling great and look pregnant enough. I actually like having a tummy and feel pretty attractive. Michael and I went out for our anniversary/my b-day last Friday and I liked my dress. The place, Seldom Blues, was an awesome waterfront jazz club and we had a great time. We're working on adjusting to his new job. Field officer training is pretty demanding and in addition to the stress of learning the job and working midnights, Michael's officer is quite demanding and critical. We miss all the time we used to spend together and the freedom, though we appreciate the job and income. He does have three days off a week :) Sorry for babbling. Hopefully I'll get some pictures of me, the baby, Michael in uniform and our home up soon.

Christmas Bender

Remember this night? I think this picture is hilarious, notice the jar of baby food amidst the wine and fake champagne. Benjamin should use this on his church's website.

Happy Spring!

Abby got all dressed up for Spring and wanted to show you her pretty new Easter dress!
(Although, I think she was far more interested in tasting her shoe at the picture sitting than showing off her pretty dress). Even still, we got a few good shots. Here they are...

Annie

On Saturday night, my sisters and nieces came to see Bloomingdale's production of Annie. The favorite part of the evening was meeting Annie herself. Also sighted in the audience were the Swiers- with the Henderson's staying at home to watch Ceci's baby Mallory (and their own Win Win) and to clean my kitchen. A fun night was had by all!

Smarty Pants

We have been practicing sign language with Sienna. We started when she was about five and a half months old showing her the signs for "milk" and "eat" and now we throw in "change," "more," and "all done." Basically I've been doing them to get myself used to it as well because Sienna doesn't have the motor skills yet to produce the signs. BUT, today she was playing on the floor and I said, "Do you want some mama milk?" while doing the sign and she did the cry/whimper that she does when she wants milk. I couldn't believe it! She's done it twice so far! In other news, Jeff is mostly done with his classes so he gets to hang out with us a lot more, which rocks! We look forward to having fun in Vancouver for two months until we have to get ready to move. Also, I want to hear from Karen! How are you doing my wonderful pregnant friend? And put up a picture of the belly!

A Little Riddle

I heard this riddle yesterday and thought that ya'll might enjoy it.

So there is a room with three light switches in it. All of them are off. Down the hall there is another room with a light bulb, also off. Only one of the switches controls the bulb. You cannot in any way see the bulb or any light from it while in the room with the switches. You can travel to the room with the bulb only once. There is a way to arrange the switches so that when you are in the room with the bulb you can know for sure which switch controls the bulb. How will you do it?

Internet Block Game

26 seconds.....beat that!

Homestar Runner

My husband enjoyed this link for a while so I thought I'd share it with all of you. Strongbad's email is the most fun...and the Burnination game. It made for lots of fun during breaks between classes in seminary. Haven't looked at it lately though. But if you've got some free time, it should be some random fun.

On the topic of links

I want to beef up our links section a little bit. If you have a personal website (like a blog thats primarily about you or your kids) then please comment to this post with a link so I can put it up. Like for instance, don't Jeff and Lara have a blog with pictures of them and Sienna? That would be perfect. I've taken the liberty of beginning by adding a link to Win's blog. My siblings and parents have a family blog as well, but that is a little too removed to be approprate to post in the link section. Another type of link I think would be good would be our churches, if it would be meaningful to you to have others check out its site. We've had for a while the link for LVC and Ben & Simone's church. If you want me to add your church, post its address in the comment section.

Now, if you have a link that you think is cool, but doesn't need to be in the permanent link section, the place to share that is in a post, like how Rachel W. did below. For instance, here's a cool site that Matt told me about. Or how about this one, or this beauty. These types of links should be shared in posts.

If you want to insert a link like the ones I've done above, here's how. When you're writing your post, switch it into "edit HTML" mode instead of "compose" mode (If you're using a Mac, then there is probably only one mode, so ignore this and continue to enjoy your far superior computer). Then where you want your link, type it in as follows:


Hope this helps. Shoot me any questions in an email or in the comments.

Laughing Babies

This is truly delightful! Irresistible, even.
click this link

New Look for Me???

Today was "Nerd Day" at school. I'll let the picture speak for itself. To my right are one of my students and the teacher next door to my room.

One night in 1776...

I have been reading John Adams lately and came across this interesting story a few nights ago that some of you might find as amusing as I do.
Setting: During the Revolutionary War, a young John Adams and 70 year old Benjamin Franklin are summoned to meet with Lord General Howe- commander of the British forces- because the British want the Americans to surrender. Adams and Franklin must travel a few days for this very serious meeting.

The journey consumed two days. With the road crowded, progress was slow and dusty. At New Brunswick the inn was so full, Adams and Franklin had to share the same bed in a tiny room with only one small window. Before turning in, when Adams moved to close the window against the night air, Franklin objected, declaring they would suffocate. Contrary to convention, Franklin believed in the benefits of fresh air at night and had published his theories on the question. "People often catch cold from one another when shut up together in small close rooms," ... He wished the window to remain open, Franklin informed Adams.
"I answered that I was afraid of the evening air," Adams would write, recounting the memorable scene. "Dr. Franklin replied, 'The air within this chamber will soon be, and indeed is now worse than that without doors. Come, open the window and come to bed, and I will convince you. I believe you are not acquainted with my theory of colds.'" Adams assured Franklin he had read his theories; they did not match his own experience, Adams said, but he would be glad to hear them again.
So the two eminent bedfellows lay side-by-side in the dark, window open, Franklin expounding, as Adams remembered, "upon air and cold and respiration and perspiration, with which I was so much amused that I soon fell asleep."

Am I a total geek for finding this so funny?

My serious post

I am stimulated by Isaiah's comment to Jason's post. (In our feeble attempts to be "relevant", the gospel suddenly becomes irrelevant.) Isaiah, I would love for you to expound. Do you mean that we shouldn't try to make the Gospel relevant? Probably not. I would assume you mean that the generalized often hyperbolized modern evangelical church can have a tendency to cheapen the message of the Gospel by trying to package it in an "attractive" way to the masses. But I am curious as to what you really mean.
I am interested in your thoughts. This is a question I face often, especially as we grow our new faith community in Austin. I often have to ask myself, "Am I doing this because God is telling me to or becuase it seems like the expedient way to attract the most people to a meeting?" My objective is the Great Commandments, which necesitates relationships with people inside a community. And I innately assume relevancy is a key. I have always assumed this was Bible for a number of reasons. I would love for anyone to respond to this.
Thanks for your serious post Jason, and your comment, Isaiah. I am stimulated.

A Question

Time for my first "deep tought" post. The other day we had a meeting for the youth group leaders at the Vineyard. During a break we began discussing this issue. The options, as I see it are either A) Have a Wednesday night meeting with fun things like pool tables, XBoxes, lights and loud music, topped off with a teen-focused message with small groups at another time, or B) Have the service with the message, and then break up into small groups, all at the same night.

Option A makes it much easier for teens to invite unchurched friends, as small groups can tend to make teens nervous, especially if they are not Christian. On the other hand, small groups are great for challenging teens, showing them love, etc. Meeting in a small group at a time other than Wednesday night can be a time constraint.

A little over a year ago, our youth group used type A youth group and was starting up some small groups that met on different nights of the week. We then switched to type B. Our numbers dropped, but the teens who come are a lot more serious about growing.

What do you guys think about this? Let me know if you can think of an option C.

Every post needs a picture, so here's a picture of my shelf that I put up in my kitchen a couple weekends ago. Hey, some people have kids, I have a house.

Exponential Increase in Cuteness

I almost didn't post this because I didn't want to preempt what may be the funniest post ever (see below - Soda Wars I and II), but I felt compelled to post this picture of Win. He still doing smashingly, and wanted to invite all of you to check out his new website. To kick off the action at his new blog, we've got a poll started and we need your votes. Thanks everyone for your love and support for us the last few days! Win can't wait to meet all of you.

The Soda Pop Wars I and II

Monday, I went into the Bloomingdale Marathon station to buy a soda. Because the fountain soda only had 4 choices, I grabbed a 20 oz Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper from the store refrigerator. While in line, I took a fountain cup with ice to pour my Dr. Pepper into. Following is a rough dialogue of the conversation.
Me- "Hey- I'm buying this bottle of Dr. Pepper, but I grabbed a cup to put it in".
The cashier was livid.
Cashier- "Well", she says, exerting her authority, "you're gonna have to pay for both".
Me- How much is the cup- like ten cents?
Cashier- We charge for the cup restocking fee. It doesn't matter if you put pop in it or not- you're gonna pay for both. She then charges me over $3 for my soda endeavor. Frustrated I leave. I talk big talk to Matt Swier in our carpool about how I'm gonna go in to the Marathon the next day and claim my soda (I'm all talk- no action)
The next day, I get in my car to drive home and Matt reminds me of my pledge. So I walk into the Marathon with my precious cup.
Me- "Hey- remember me (I wave my cup triumphantly in the air), I was here yesterday and made the mistake about pouring my soda in the cup. Well, I'm just here to fill up the cup with the pop I've already paid for.
The cashier decides to take a stand. NOOOOOOOOOOOO- she says. You're not gonna fill up that cup with pop unless you pay for a refill.
Me- (super friendly- Matt Swier, by the way, is quietly watching from the doorway trying not to be noticed) Oh no- I don't want a refill. I already paid for the pop... I'm just going to fill up this cup....
Cashier- "What do you think? Everything in this life is free?"
Me- "No- I have already paid for the soda"
Cashier- "Listen- we charged you yesterday for the cup and we're charging you today for the soda. You can't claim that pop back- you already paid for it"
Me- "exactly"
and on and on and on....
So finally (because really, I was picking an insane fight over $1.09) I throw the empty cup in the garbage, make sheepish apologies, and start to walk out.
Cashier- "You know" she yells as I open the door, "you can't just get things in this life for free"

Apparently, at the Bloomingdale Marathon Station, you can't even get things that you've paid for.

Winfield Benjamin

He showed up last night at 11:05pm. 9 pounds, 6 ounces, 20 inches long. He's doing great and so is mom. We're gonna call him Win for short. More later.