Expecting

On Sunday, Brandon announced to the congregation that we are expecting. As he continued with his greeting and prayer, my mind couldn’t get that word out of my head. Expecting. When a couple announces they are expecting, one can reasonably assume they are referring to a new baby. What does the word expect really mean?

Expect (verb)
1.to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of
2.to look for with reason or justification
3.to suppose or surmise; guess
4.to anticipate the birth of (one’s child)

Brandon and I have been “expecting” five times now. Five times we have looked forward to and anticipated the coming of a baby. However, our expectations have only been met twice. We are praying for a third such occasion right now.

When we experienced our miscarriages, our expectations were not met. I would go so far as to say our expectations were crushed. All that we had looked forward to and anticipated did not come to be.

The title of my blog is “Great Expectations.” My journey through the crushing pain of unfulfilled expectations has left me a bit timid. I have been afraid to expect too much. When you allow yourself to have great expectations, you open yourself to the possibility of great pain. I’d rather just lower my expectations and be pleasantly surprised if things go well or that when things do come crashing down, at least I am not buried in the rubble.

I don’t believe that this is how God wants me to live. He has given me a hope that is secure, an anchor for my soul (Heb 4:19). I can eagerly await and anticipate eternity in heaven with my Lord and Savior--an existence absent of death, mourning, crying and pain (Rev 21:4). Although this world is full of trials and tribulations, I can live in great expectation. I can live in a state of looking forward to something that is SURE to happen. I don’t have to suppose, surmise, or guess what the outcome will be.

Maybe this security of a sure expectation will allow me to open my heart to expect great things here and now. Maybe the disappointments and hurts sure to be experienced here on earth will be softened by the knowledge that this is not how it will always be. It is like taking a huge leap knowing that although I may get some bumps and bruises along the way down, I am assured of a soft landing in my Father’s strong and secure arms. I might have my eyes closed, but I think I’m ready to jump.

Easter 2010

Easter Highlights:

Our family has been gearing up for Easter for the past 40 days. Things were kicked off with a prayer calendar put together by our church. As a family, we enjoyed turning a page each day, reading Scripture and quotes, and following specific prayer ideas.

One month before Easter, I broke out the Resurrection Eggs. The boys enjoyed looking inside each egg and learning about the events of Holy Week.

A few days before Palm Sunday, Owen and Miles put on a little puppet show. Owen was Brae the donkey and Miles was a palm branch. Owen told the story of Brae, the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, in great detail. Miles waved that branch like nobody's business!

On Good Friday, Owen informed me that it was "not good for Jesus, but good for us because He died on the cross for our sins." We spent the day with my mom's side of the family. My favorite moment was when Miles kept taking candy-filled eggs to my Grandpa. Miles needed help opening the eggs and he knew Mom had said no more candy. Grandpa GG was more than willing to open the eggs, so Miles was more than willing to split the booty with him. It was really cute!

Today was the big day. We got all dressed up in our Easter best and headed to church. I was scolded by Owen for driving with no hands because I was too busy singing my heart out. Owen's Sunday School teacher informed me that he had accidently kicked a little boy in the face while reenacting how the guards at Jesus' tomb fell over like dead men. We enjoyed the rest of the day with family.

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice and thank you God for giving us victory over death!

Family Update

Early Family Updates . . .

Brandon is breathing a little easier at work. We recently hired a great guy to take over Jr High. Luke and his fiance Jessi are great and we are so excited they are here. Brandon is "fun dad" but also firm and loving. Owen invited his dad to Special Friends day at school. He was so excited to show his dad off. Miles has been trained to state on command, "I am daddy's boy!"

Owen is my helper. He loves to help, he loves to love his brother, he loves to say sweet things. He is very thoughtful and kind. He knows no strangers and especially loves babies. I also recently learned that he likes the New Testament better than the Old Testament. That kid knows his Bible! Now, we do have our not so sweet moments. We are currently going through the "I think it is more fun to be bad" stage. At least I'm hoping this is just a stage!

Miles is a hoot. He has so many different faces and voices. When he knows he is in trouble, he smiles this big smile where his eye are all squinted shut. We are half-heartedly working on potty training. I'm in no hurry. Miles is learning to pedal his tricycle. He has a pretty solid bed time routine that he has come up with. It includes a kiss, a buzzer, a hug, and three blankets.

I am doing good. I am enjoying the warmer weather and looking forward to an early anniversary trip with Brandon next month. This summer we will celebrate 10 years of marriage. That is crazy!!! I was thrilled to learn that I will still have my job next year. I also continue to be involved at church with women's ministries and Jr High.

The Sickies

Ugh. Sickness has hit our home in full force. Owen got things going with a nasty stomach flu one night. Miles, not wanting to be left out, chimed in with a horrible cough and cold. Brandon seemed to then come down with a touch of whatever Owen had. Just when things were finally looking up, I started in with a nasty cold. Now, Owen is well on his way to a cold too. We have all been a bit grouchy and tired which doesn’t play out well. None of us are very hungry so we end up eating stuff that probably isn’t helping the situation. In summary, the Early home is not at its best these days.

In spite of all these sickies floating around, we do manage to have a good time. Owen entertains us with his very logical 5-year-old brain. In the car today, Brandon was naming various animals that we could have as a pet. Some examples were: a mosquito, an eagle, and a tree. Bless his little heart, Owen very calmly and logically explained to his dad why each of those options simply would not work. Owen’s final conclusion was that we needed a hamster. I explained that we have a pet dog named Daisy who just happens to live at Grammy and Grampy’s house. That seemed to work for the moment.

Miles is finally perking up a bit as well. That kid makes the most hilarious faces. Some of them, such as the Soccer Monster, are mean, scary faces, but even they are funny. He is so animated and has such a great vocabulary. It is quite entertaining. Today he told Grampy that “I’m big enough to do it myself” when given a bag of fruit snacks (aka juicies).

I look forward to having toys instead of tissues strewn around our house, but for the time being, we are trying to make the best of a not so great situation. A big shout out to Grammy and Grampy for risking their own health and sanity to give Brandon and I a break from time to time.

Birthday Week Festivities

What a great birthday week! I have rung in 32 with style. Here is a glimpse of my week:

Tues 19th-Mom and dad treated us to dinner at Texas Roadhouse

Wed 20th-Brandon and I took the boys to JMK Nippon’s for lunch. Owen kept trying to address the hostess, chef and wait staff to tell them it was my birthday so they would sing to me. His wish came true when the staff came out with my pineapple bowl complete with candle. He enjoyed the attention much more than I did! Church was cancelled this night due to ice, so I had a nice quiet evening with Brandon.

Thurs 21st-Well, this day was not so great. Poor Brandon woke up with a really bad case of vertigo. Anytime he would lift or turn his head he became dizzy and nauseous. He was pretty much bed-ridden all day. I stayed home from bible study to look after him. I love bible study and missed my group, but enjoyed some quiet time at home to read and study.

Fri 22nd-After work, mom and I headed up to Madison, Wisconsin to see Little House on the Prairie the Musical starring Melissa Gilbert. I have loved Little House since I was a little girl. I know every television episode forward and backward and even read some of the books. I own a Laura collector’s doll and an 8x10 of the Ingalls family. Hey, we all have our stuff. When we got to the theater, we learned that our tickets were in the front row! I’m pretty sure we had the best seats in the entire house. It was wonderful! I even got a little teary when the music started playing. In my head I started to think . . . this is heaven! However, I became even more overwhelmed by the fact that Heaven is going be (insert biggest number possible here) better than even Little House! Now that is something to look forward to!

Sat 23rd-Today is my really good friend Tona’s birthday. This is our third annual Tona-Keri birthday event. Year one we saw Brian Regan at the Coronado. Year two we went to an Ice Hogs hockey game. Year three (today) we had a spa day! Oh my was it wonderful. I have never had a facial or massage and received “mini” ones today. We also had a pedicure which was wonderful. After that, we grabbed lunch. It was such a fun way to celebrate and it is becoming something we both look forward to.

Sun 24th-Tomorrow I will attend week 3 of the Sunday School class I helped organize. I have been learning a lot from the class taught by Pam MacRae. After church, I get to spend a few hours with some of my favorite 7th grade girls. We have a great time together. After d-groups, I have BSB with a few good friends. We are reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan and I can’t wait to discuss what we are learning!

Object Lesson: Priorities

I am all about object lessons. As a visual learner, seeing things helps me better understand and remember information. Several years ago, my good friend Tona did an object lesson for the Jr High small group we were leading together. Little did I know that day how much that lesson would impact my life.

The lesson materials included a large glass vase, 3 or 4 ornament-size balls, a bag of small pebbles and some sand. Tona demonstrated what happened when she first filled the vase with the sand and then the rocks. The balls did not fit. She started the process again. This time, Tona placed the large balls in the vase first. She then added the pebbles, followed by the sand. Guess what? It all fit! The lesson . . . when we daily put the "big things" in our lives first, everything else falls into place.

What a great lesson! I began thinking about what those "big things" needed to be in my life. I eventually figured out that having quiet time with God, living a healthy lifestyle (diet and exercise), and keeping a clean home were the "big things" I needed to put first in my life. This is where my Tresolution (3 year plan) came into play.

How does it all work? My quiet times with God have given me perspective on life. I am reminded of who God is and His plans for me. Living a healthier lifestyle has increased my energy and strength to live out what God has called me to do. My hope is that decluttering and organizing my home will eliminate some of the distractions that material possessions can cause and allow our family to be better stewards of what we are given. As an added bonus, improvements in each of these areas has great potential to positively impact my family.

I want to serve God with all that I am and all that I have. When my day begins to fall apart, I remember that object lesson and ask myself the question . . . What's in my vase?

Top 10 for 2010

Top 10 Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2010 (in no particular order). . .

1. Little House on the Prairie the Musical (22 more days!)

2. Two new nephews due to arrive this month

3. Group's Simply Youth Ministry Conference in February

4. Jr High missions trip to Kentucky in June

5. Two good friends getting married

6. Celebrating 10 years of marriage in August

7. Sending Owen to Kindergarten in August (he'll love it, I'll probably cry)

8. Being a diaper free house (hopefully sooner rather than later)

9. Decluttering my home, the Salvation Army is my new best friend!

10.Continuing to study God's word, cook, and exercise