My Ebenezer

I had the strangest dream that Josh's brother Dave got married yesterday. Oh, wait. HE DID!!!! That's right, Dave got married . Last week at this time we knew nothing about any wedding, and today we've just returned from Charleston, SC after having witnessed his marriage. We have always teased Dave about his secretiveness, and in fact he and Andrea had talked about eloping, but thankfully (a BIG "Thank you," Dave) he called us all last Wednesday night and invited us to his wedding. I'm so glad he did! So Dave is married now. Dad Rowley asked each one of the brothers and sisters (and sisters-in-law) to give a short charge to Dave and Andrea during the wedding, in lieu of a typical wedding sermon. I think this was a great idea, though I was way nervous to have to do such a thing. Have you ever tried to give marriage advice with your spouse standing right there listening to you? It's very sobering. Everything you say, you have the earthly person who knows you...

We went swimming with a new friend and her little boy today, and got home only to discover that the tag was still hanging from my brand-new bathing suit. I'm just classy like that. *sigh*

As time goes by and we remain unable to conceive, I keep reminding myself to drink in every moment I have with my little boy. He won't be little much longer; the baby years are already behind us! *sniff* I was noticing at the beach today that Noah's little baby pot belly is gone. This would be easier to take if I knew I'd have a new little one to blow raspberries on. Where did this little guy go? Or this one? Chubby face all covered in ice cream, wearing his little "Noah and the Ark" romper? I saw that romper on Titus a couple weeks ago.... *sniff* So Noah is almost four years old, and every day I have to keep reminding myself to soak it up, to remember, to blog . Many of my memories have been helped by this blog, and I'm so thankful I began writing this stuff down so I won't forget it. So, for memories' sake, here's what I want to remember about Noah at this age: 1. He never. stops. talking. I know ( I know !) this is something I'll miss in ye...

I have been having technical difficulties with my blog over the last few days, which has prevented me from blogging. I'm still here and I hope to pick things up again. I've missed it!

Thanks for asking! I have had a lot of people ask me lately how the diet is going, and whether or not I think it's helping, so I thought I'd answer that. And really, thank you to those who have cared enough to ask! It's going well. I am becoming used to what I should and should not eat, as well as those foods that will be most beneficial to me. I'm feeling a difference, usually when I consume something I shouldn't have had. I notice heartburn after I eat tomato products, for example. And call me crazy, but I do feel better after eating a meal consisting mostly of the beneficial foods. I have not had any red meat or pork in about 2 months, but I'm eating a ton of spinach (for the iron, you know). Popeye would be proud. Preparing food is not getting much easier, since my family is still very much fond of spaghetti, hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, etc, all of which are current "no-no's" for me. You should have seen me on Thursday night this...

You're looking at the last of the Mother's Day flowers from church. These were extras, and since Matt and Jen were heading out of town for 2 weeks, they got sent home with us. Not that I'm complaining, since I love fresh flowers! It may be hard to see in the photo, but there are several white tulips with 2 purpleish ones. This is an important fact, because at lunch today Noah asked me: "When are those white flowers EVER going to turn purple?" Poor guy. But isn't this what I do with God? He has made me this way on purpose, with my own set of skills and quirks and limitations. He made me "white" if you will. What business have I wishing myself to be "purple?" That's not to say I shouldn't strive to do the best with what God has given me, and repent of sin, but there are certain things I just can't change. White tulips are certainly beautiful, even though they're not purple. And a sidenote: I'm so thankful that God made a v...

My wonderful family took me out to eat at Olive Garden on Saturday night, because we knew Sunday would be packed out. It ended up working out great, because we had so much food left over that we were able to enjoy it again for Sunday lunch, which meant twice that I didn't have to cook! Blessings! I am so thankful that the Lord has made me a mother, while at the same time, I feel compassion for those who are still waiting for their turn. In fact, I found myself with mixed emotions about my own situation: always thankful for Noah, yet praying that the Lord would give us another child. Mother's Day remains a bittersweet day for me. I am also really thankful for my mother and for Josh's mother. What an incredible gift a godly mother is! I still pray for God's grace to be a mother He can be pleased with.

*what I am about to post may be controversial. That's not my intention; for this post I am not intending to pass judgment on any other person's methods. I am simply stating what has and has not worked for us . Please take this as such, and please don't bash me in the comments section. Thank you! :)* Ah, Sunday church training. The transition every church kid must master; too big for the nursery, yet not quite able to sit through an entire service at church. Noah has been at this (I was going to insert "delightful", but realized I'd be lying) stage for a few months with varying degrees of success. We began training him with a Quiet Bag, which is just that; a Bag full of stuff to keep a kid Quiet. Bible story books, an Etch-a-Sketch, a coloring book, an activity book, a bag of crayons. He was then required to be still and quiet during the church service so as not to be a distraction to others. Only it didn't work. I'm sure other children would do well wi...

It is a fact universally acknowledged that kids + water = FUN! Jen and I took the kids to the splash park at the zoo last week. Once again, Titus couldn't help himself and dozed off. Yes, he's sleeping under that hat! So Jen took pity on him and reclined him, poor guy. :) Here are Noah and Brianne sweetly standing together, for once. Theirs is a very odd relationship where one minute they are fighting like bitter enemies, and the next they are begging for each other's company. I'm told that's how brothers and sisters are, but I wouldn't really know.

We went to Publix this morning for yet another cartload of fruits and vegetables (I feel like I'm there all the time, replenishing my stock. A vegetarian-esque diet will do that to you.). We were there approximately 20 minutes, and in that time I had FOUR people say about Noah: "Oh, to have half his energy!" I get this comment All The Time, but this was the first day I received it four times in 20 minutes! Guess he had a lot of energy today. :)