Grandparents are the best!

There is a cliche idea that grandparents get to come in, spoil the kids, then leave and let the parents deal with the chaos they've created. Getting even? Maybe. But Gabriel and Hope have grandparents that know better. Either that, or they're just being good while they wait for a better time to come spoil the kids. No, for now, we have been amazed at how helpful they have all been! When Hope was born, Grandpa and Gram Gram were here to help out. We enjoyed three home-made meals a day, along with help cleaning and doing laundry! They also helped with Gabriel throughout the day, which was no small task since he had an ear infection and was cranky. Gram Gram even sanded and painted Hope's crib! Really, I think her new name should be "The Machine". She just goes goes goes, and never complains. I wish I had that type of energy! Having Grandpa and Gram Gram here was a blessing, and we enjoyed their company.

As I look through the pictures we took, I notice they mostly involve snuggling with a little bit of play mixed in. That pretty much describes the first two weeks after we brought Hope home from the hospital.

Look at these manly men!

Welcome Hope Lynn Sanders - Birth Story

I have been told that only 4% of babies are actually born on their due date. Our daughter was born on her due date, but that is not the only reason she is so special. Hope Lynn Sanders was born January 13, 2013. She weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 19 inches long. She practically came flying into the world. She must have been in a hurry! Here is her story.

At 4:30AM on Sunday, January 13, I woke with some contractions. I decided to get up and walk around to see if they would continue. After a few more, I woke up Richard and told him to pack our bags, while I took a warm shower. Around 7am the contractions stopped. Gabriel woke up, and we all took a family trip to the mall, where we did a LOT of walking in hopes the contractions would start again. On our way home, the contractions started again, but we continued to make lunch and put Gabriel down for his nap at 1PM. I called my doctor and told him my contractions were fairly consistent and seemed to be getting a little stronger. I also told him I didn't want to go in to the hospital yet, because I didn't want an epidural and I didn't want to be confined to a hospital bed. However, he said he really thought it was time for me to come in to the hospital.

So my neighbor came over to the house right when we put him down for his nap, and we headed to the hospital. It took about an hour and a half to finally get checked by a nurse at the hospital. Why do hospitals take so long to admit a woman in labor?! Very frustrating. Especially since I had already preregistered. Anyway, I will try not to vent about that here. After being told I was dilated by 4 cm, and at this time I was having very strong contractions, I figured the labor would take several more hours, and I asked for an epidural. Shortly after it turned into one of those Hollywood scenes, where I was in so much pain I was yelling. Only then did the nurses decide they should hurry things up. As soon as my doctor came in the room, he told everyone to hurry up the baby was going to come very quickly! Sure enough, I pushed three times, and there she was. When they handed her to me all I could say was "Oh baby!" It had only been 45 minutes since the nurse told me I was 4cm. Gosh, that was fast! I am so glad my doctor didn't let me stay at home.

Hope has been such a cutie pie and a delight to everyone who sees her. Richard and I are blessed to have been given this beautiful little life to love and to raise. Welcome to the world, sweet girl. Momma and Daddy are so happy to finally see you!

1 week to go!

Today I am one week away from my due date with baby Hope, and I feel like a big pregnant emotional mess. I remember getting emotional toward the end of my pregnancy with Gabriel too. Basically it means feeling overwhelmed and anxious and wanting to cry a lot... over silly little things. But, fortunately I have an awesome husband who is patient and kind and lets me explain my feelings about why I want to eat a lot of sweets or how I feel like I have a lot of things to do, but I can't do any of it. Then he prays for me, and things start to feel better. I'm a lucky girl ;)

I am definitely ready to have Hope. She could decide to come right now, and that would be fine with me! Not because I waddle instead of walk, not because it's hard to carry a 30 pound toddler plus an additional 30 pounds of pregnancy weight (yep, just about 30 pounds gained this time!) up and down two flights of stairs and not because I'm sick of being so tired I can't spend enough time in the kitchen to actually cook a decent meal. I want Hope to come because I just want to hold her and see her and feel her tiny little fingers wrap around my pinky. I feel like all my anxiety and worry and silly emotions will go away when I get to hold my baby girl.

So until little baby Hope decides to grace us with her presence, I will continue to eat lots of sweets, watch lots of TV when I can't sleep and waddle around Target aimlessly just to have an excuse to get out of the house.

Please come soon baby Hope!

2013 Goals

Richard and I don't always make New Year's resolutions. This year, however we have made a list of goals. Call them resolutions if you wish. We have put a lot of effort into each goal so we can hit the ground running come January 1.

Our 2013 goals fall into various categories: kids, finances, personal growth and our marriage. Some of the goals are things we just need to do, even though they aren't fun (potty training, keeping a budget, etc). But some of the goals have me really excited! Here are some of my favorites.

Purposeful learning time for Gabriel:
Although Gabriel is still very young, I want to put more effort and thought behind some learning activities. This can be anything from finger painting to trips to the zoo or a Smithsonian museum. Since we have worked out our budget for next year, I even have money each month to spend on these activities, and trust me, I plan to spend every penny each month! I already have fun things planned, like a local coffee house that has a live music time for toddlers, and purchasing many of the books off Gabriel's wish list.

Read through the New Testament in the ESV (English Standard Version) as a couple:
Richard and I haven't been reading the ESV version of the Bible for long, but it has a more literal interpretation of the word than other versions. We are excited to read the Bible from a new perspective.

Consistent work out time:
Well, isn't this the stereotypical resolution? It may be cliche, but working out regularly really makes you feel good. That's what we're looking forward to. Being healthy and feeling good. Oh, and looking good too ;)

Consistent date nights:
I think I may be able to count on the fingers of both hands the number of times we have gone out for dates in the past 2 years. When there's no family nearby and babysitters are expensive, that's just what happens. But that's really not an excuse. We want to make our marriage a priority. So maybe we'll be asking our friends for a few babysitting nights. However it happens, I am excited to spend time with my hubby!

I am looking forward to 2013. I think it's going to be a great year!

2012 Books

I've enjoyed keeping track of the books we read throughout the year, because it's neat to go back and see your accomplishments. It also makes me realize we read more than I think we do. I always feel like we, as a family, don't have enough reading time. Even though this year's list isn't as long as last year's, I think it's just as good. We learned a lot from parenting books and theology, as well as got some good entertainment from some easy reading. If you're interested in our thoughts/recommendations regarding any of the below, just let us know.

When The Church Was A Family - Richard and Sarah
Redeeming Love - Sarah
Pilgrim's Progress - Sarah
The Sovereignty of God - Sarah
What Is Reformed Theology - Sarah
Martin Luther - Sarah
Through My Eyes - Richard
On Becoming Pre-Toddler Wise - Richard and Sarah
On Becoming Toddler Wise - Richard and Sarah
The New Dare to Discipline - Richard and Sarah
The Hunger Games - Sarah
Encountering the Book of Genesis - Richard and Sarah
The Reversal - Richard
The Drop - Richard
Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches - Sarah

Gabriel's Books:
We decided to not list the endless children's books that have been read to Gabriel. Instead, we will post his books when he starts reading on his own.

Currently Reading:
1776 - Sarah
The Good Book Guide to Ephesians - Sarah

Mandi's Visit

Our friend Mandi and her baby girl, Charlotte, were able to come visit us for a long weekend. We had fun at Hope's baby shower and also squeezed in some Christmas activities.

We went to the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel, where there was a Christmas tree lighting show. The tree lights and fountains danced to music and "snow" was released from the top of the hotel. The kids loved it. The hotel was nice too, since it sits right on the Potomac River. Here are Mandi, Charlotte, Richard and Gabriel watching the show.

We also went to the National Zoo for their night time Zoo Lights. We got to see a few animals and walk around looking at the lights while drinking hot chocolate.

Gabriel loved having Charlotte around. He held her hand at Target (without being asked) and wouldn't let go the whole time. He also pushed her around in the stroller outside. Such a gentleman.

Gabriel even tried to Charlotte a kiss!

 And of course we shared our favorite time: we read books together before bed.

Thanks for coming Mandi and Charlotte!

2012 Ornament

Each year we add a new ornament to our tree that represents something that happened that year. This year, we added an M&M ornament from M&M World in Las Vegas. We took a trip there with Grandpa and Gram Gram in May.