Birthday Boy!!

Happy Birthday LUKE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked down at the wet little bundle with adoration in my eyes, and gratitude in my heart.  I couldn't believe it, I was holding my baby! He lay on my chest, his big blue eyes looking around, and no one tried to tear him from my arms, he wasn't rolled away in a shinny plastic bed, no tubes or wires hooked to his tiny body.  I was home, in my own room, my own bed; holding my own baby.  It was a blessing I had hardly dared hope for!

David in the NICU

A little over 3 years earlier, on January 10th, 2009, our oldest son David was born, 6 1/2 weeks pre-term.  Our carefully laid plans for a quiet home birth were shattered, and David would spend the first 2 weeks of his life in an incubator, with tubs and wires, at the NICU.

Scotty just days be for we brought him home!

Fast forward 1 year, March 10th, 2010,  our second son, Scotty arrived unexpectedly 8 weeks pre-term.  Once again my baby was swept from my arms within minutes of being born and whisked away to the NICU, where he would subsequently spend the first month of his life.

With 2 pre-term births in my history, it was a difficult decision to choose a home birth midwife for our third pregnancy.  After much prayer and discussion we decided to trust that God was bigger than circumstance, and perfectly in control.  If he willed it, our precious 3rd child could go to term and be born at home! 

Our midwife was/is amazing!  With over 20 years of experience helping mom's with a histor

y of pre-term labor and delivery make it to term, we knew we where in good hands.  We consulted with a perinautalogist ,  made the use of multiple herbs, nutritional supplements and above all else we PRAYED.  For we knew, regardless of what we did God was in control, and he alone was capable of  miraculously allowing this baby to go to term.

My baby, born at home! 05/31/2012

In order to birth our baby at home I had to make it to 36weeks.  So far the closest I'd every gotten during a pregnancy was 34weeks.  We counted out the weeks and circled the day that marked 36 weeks on the calendar. And then we waited.  The month of May was hard for me.  I trusted that God's will would be perfect, and our baby would be born in his time and in the place of his choosing.  And yet I wanted the joy and peace of a home birth sooooo badly!  Every tiny contraction, ache, or pain, very nearly sent me into panic that the baby would be born early.  But slowly the "magic" day grew closer and closer.

Luke about 1 week old.

At 36 weeks, 2 days, Luke Harold Jorgensen entered the world.  After just 2 1/2 hours of labor I joyfully gave birth to our third son, at HOME!  Oh, the joy of holding my baby for the first time could only be matched by the inexplicable joy of knowing he wouldn't be torn from my arms, or spend the first few weeks of his life in the hospital!

I give all praise and honor to God for bringing him to term.  As I cuddled, in my own bed, with my precious baby just hours after his birth slowly drifting off to sleep I rejoiced in my precious Lords grace and mercy!

Now, 1 year later I remember and rejoice again at his grace and providence.

Praise the Lord most high!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All our boys at the park this spring :)

Enjoying Our Children

It's so very easy to forget what blessings these little people are!  This last week a friend of mines little 5mo old daughter lost her fight for life . . . Little Addie was born 3 months premature and everyday of her life here on earth was full of pain and fight for her every breath.  As I grieve with my friend and her family I am painfully reminded of how often I get annoyed or short tempered with my little blessings.  I was reminded that life is fleeting and every moment is precious.  We don't know how long God has placed these little ones in our charge for.   As a mother, who feels her call to be home with my children, I realize that these precious, eternal souls are my occupation   The house work, the dishes, laundry, even the discipline only exists as a way to train and love these little ones.  Pointing them to Christ should be my main aim.   In light of eternity does it really mater that I had dirty dishes sitting on the counter most of the time, or that I was never caught up on laundry? So my house isn't perfect, there are toys scattered across the living room floor, dirty smudges on the walls and little finger prints on all my windows!  Children live here.  Sweet, precious, ETERNAL souls!  So today, in the midst of folding laundry and washing the never ending pile of dirty dishes I challenge you to take a minute to hug your children let them know how much they mean to you, and the Lord.
God Bless!
~ Lydia

Delighting In Your Man

I recently had the honor and privilege of sharing a few thoughts on marriage at a friends personal shower; it was a convicting experience for me!  I still, daily, need reminders like this.  I hope these thoughts can be a blessing to all who read them :)

~ Lydia

Delighting in Your Man

 

You've waited, prayed and kept yourself for this man.  The day you marry him will be one of wonder and delight, but as those moments fades into memories never forget to delight in this man you chose.

Elizabeth Elliot says in "Let Me Be a Woman",  "You hear the call, you answer, you accept the task, you enter into it willingly and eagerly.  You commit yourself to its disciplines and responsibilities, and limitations, and privileges.  You concentrate on it, giving yourself to it day after day in a life long 'Yes'.  Having said 'yes' to the man who asked you to marry him, you go on saying 'yes' to marriage."

 

Saying "yes" to marriage is a daily privilege and at times requires great effort.  But striving to delight in your man is one of the most powerful things you can do for your marriage!

Principles of Delight (or practical application):

1)  Never quench the spirit of delight and wonder you experience at the sound of his voice!

   I charge  you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and the hinds of the field that ye stir not up nor awaken my love till he please.

   The voice of my beloved!  Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

                                                            Song of Solomon 2:8&9

2)  Know why you love/chose this man, and never forget it!

                                                Song of Solomon 5:9-16

   - Make a list (write it down)

   - Tell him! (the spoken word is powerful)

   - Show him (actions reinforce your words)

   - Tell others (there is nothing wrong with bragging up your man!)

   - Tell your children (there is nothing more powerful in the life of a child than knowing their mama adores daddy)

 

3)   Love on him!

                                    1st Corinthians 7:1-5

   Men need physical affection, more so than we as woman, never let your ministry of love be lacking in this area, there is no better way to show your man how much you delight in him!

4)  Listen to his concerns and preferences

In household matters we tend to think we are all knowing and he is not.  God will bless you as you show your delight to your husband by choosing to honor his requests or preferences in your home, in food, clothing, media (both if he is more strict or more lenient than you)

In Closing:

Jealously Guard his Love

  Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

   Many waters can not quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the sustenance

 of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

Song of Solomon 8:6&7

-  Keep his confidence

-  Encourage him

- Submit

- Show honor in the small things

- Brag on him

- Lavish him with Affection

- Always be physically available for him

- Initiate

You are now the keeper of his heart! 

As you nurture your wonder and awe of the man God created for you, lavish him with your delight

and let him know how much you treasure the gift of his heart.

Never let him wonder!

Be "proactive".

Don't be afraid of letting EVERYONE know how much you DELIGHT in

YOUR MAN!

Mannanah Jam

Last weekend the boys and I had the opportunity to attend an annual family blue-grass jam my parents host each  year.  Unfortunately Stephen wasn't able to come with us, he stayed home and built a rail at  the top of our stairs so the boys won't fall off and kill themselves - don't I have just a wonderful man?!?!?!?  Yes! In fact we did move into our upstairs last weekend!  And as soon as I get my camera back from my mom I'm going to take pictures and post before and after shots of our extensive remodel job! (which by the way, my amazing and very talented Hubby did 99% of himself!)

Any way . . . here are some photo's I took at the Jam last Sunday:

My In-Laws singing (we are very blessed to have talented musicians on both sides of the family!)

David & His Uncle Jack, they are 3months apart in age and the best of friends!

"Uncle Jack"

Mitch & Carl singing together !

My brothers youngest. As David calls him "Baby Rodger"

Scotty

My siblings singing together

Home Grown & Delicious!

We love to eat yummy food, who doesn't?  And this time of year offers a virtual goldmine of opportunity to eat healthy and spectacular food!  I love the challenge of trying to create an appetizing meal using only things I've grown myself  or been given from friends and families gardens.  Here is our dinner from the other night - homegrown free range chickens raised on my parents organic farm and butchered by my hubby, myself (yes i do help with the butchering - *gives self pat on the back :) and my dad and siblings.  

Fresh red potatoes dug from my daddy's amazing garden just an hour or so before dinner.

And Fresh from daddy's garden Zucchini grilled and topped with garlic and cheese. 

 I have also been experimenting with herbs the last couple of years, and just the other day I decided to harvest them all.   Here are all my herbs freshly picked and sitting on our dinning room table:

And here they all are hours later after being picked off the stems and laid out to dry:

I have been really enjoying cooking and baking with fresh herbs.  The taste is so much more poignant and bursting with flavor than anything you can buy from the store!   I didn't even realize what some herbs flavor really was, being as the dried little jars from the grocery store all kinda taste like dirty sticks :-)  I encourage any one with a pot and a window to try growing some fresh herbs - you will be amazed!

Do you support your man?

I was driving to my parents from Litchfield today and listing to a CD when this song came on, it's one of my favorites I just love the lyrics and hope and pray my husband would say the same  of me . . .

She Supports Her Man

By: Paul Overstreet

Well they were married young

And at first life was hard for them

Her friends and family told her

She should not have married him

'Cause sometimes he'd get out of work

Then he'd work on big ideas

And the part time job she'd have to take

Would barely pay the bills

Sometimes they could both hear 

People talk behind their backs, saying

She supports her man

Yes, she supports her man

And she believes that everyone

Should have a helping hand

And the Bible on the table says

It's all part of the plan

She's in love so she supports her man

Well after 15 years or so

Her man wound up on top

And when his big ideas came through

Well, everyone was shocked

To find he'd never take the credit

For all his success

He was quick to set the record strait

When people asked

He would always turn to his wife

Take her hand and say,

Yea, she supports her man

Yea, she supports her man

Any good I'll ever do 

She believes I can

And the Bible on our table says

It's all part of His plan

I've been blessed 'cause 

She supports her man

Well last Sunday he turned 92

And she's just 85

But to look at them it's plain to see

Their love is still alive

His eyes don't see as well as hers

His ears hear fewer sounds

But with his feeble hand on her arm

They still walk through town

Now everybody's saying it's wonderful to see

How she supports her man

Yes, she supports her man

'Cause she's believes eternity

Should find them hand in hand

And the Bible on their table says

It's all part of His plan

So with the strength God gives her

She supports her man

Yea, the Bible on their table says

It's all part of His plan

So with the strength God gives her

She supports her man