Hirsch Wordle, January-June 2008

Here's a cool little thing to do...my friend Amber had it on her blog, so I did it for our blog too. It's from the very first blog we posted til now, basically January through June. It's a copy and paste, with the words sized in accordance to the usage. It's pretty cool. You can click on it to see it larger. Here's ours:

And the next Baby Hirsch is...

another little princess! Yes, we found out today that we are having another little girl!

So, being that we have to be tortured for our ultrasounds- full bladder, ready to explode, waiting to be seen, baby kicking bladder, having to move and actually walk to the table while praying that you don't sneeze and totally lose all contents of bladder in the process- well, today, my husband got to actually see how much this woman's bladder holds. I drank my two bottles of water. I was getting up to go to the bathroom, cause we'd been waiting for like 30-45 minutes already, and I was in serious pain, when she came up to get us. I get through the door and tell the ultrasound tech- there can be no small talk, I am seriously hurting here. So she's gracious enough to speed the process up and get going. She proceeds to put the wand on my belly and let's out a- oh my gosh!- and of course, Gary is like, what?! Are there twins?!  (now wouldn't THAT be fun!) And she told him- no, I have never seen a bladder this big on a pregnant woman. And then proceeds to give her apologizes to me and hurries to get the full bladder pics and, praise be to God, let me go empty it before finishing. So now there is proof that I really am not whining or being wimpy when I finally DO have to go to the bathroom.  :)

Anyway, so this baby...I am scared. She would not cooperate. She is breech (no big deal, Belle & Bethany were up til the week before delivery), but it doesn't give the best shot at taking a peek. And she had her heel right between her legs. Then, the tech said that she'd just go ahead and take the pics and measurements of the other parts she needed and try to see if she'd move at some point to see. Well, she was trying to get pics of a certain thing, and the baby would move. The tech would move the wand, get the area she needed, and baby would move again. Little booger. Gary says this is going to be another momma's personality baby.   :)   Lord, have mercy!  

One cute thing we got to see during the process was her yawning. We could see her mouth open up and close. It was sweet. It was like she was mocking us. This is taking so long...aaaaauuuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhh*yawn*  Funny.

But, finally she quickly moved her foot and you could see the clear markings of a baby girl. Yes, Gary is WAY out numbered. Pray for him. :)  He is excited. And makes a wonderful daddy to sweet little girls.

On a more serious note, I was reminded again of God's sovereignty and His hand. Earlier this week I ran across Angie Smith's blog. If you haven't heard her story, be blessed in seeing God use pain for the glory of His name and check out her blog at audreycaroline.blogspot.com when you have some free moments and a box of tissues. Nothing extraordinary about her but the grace of God in her life. Part of her story includes finding out at her 20 week ultrasound/check up that their baby girl Audrey Caroline was not going to live. She had major complications that was going to keep her from living more than a few hours. Because of reading this whole story  (every single blog in one late night) right before my own 20 week ultrasound, I found myself before God, again laying down my "Isaac" and being reminded of what I treasure more than even this precious life within my womb. More than my most prized possession on this earth, my husband. I was reminded that God is good, regardless of what He chooses to give or take away. And again I was reminded to offer it back up to Him for His glory, and however He wants to reveal His glory. Even if that meant some "horrible" news at this 20 week ultrasound about the health and well being of our baby. I am grateful for how gracious God is to give me these reminders to keep my heart in check. The reality is, I didn't know it was all going to be fine. The reality is, He has every right to glorify Himself however He desires within our life. Even if it's not what I would ideally choose. The reality is, He is God. And that is enough. What a gracious God.

Baby Girl #4- we love you and are praying that your whole life- and eventual death- would continually remind those around you that God is enough. That even in the midst of hard things, hurtful things, and yes, joyful things, we would keep faith. Faith in a holy, gracious God that is wholly enough. Yes, your name will include Faith. We know that.  :)

Praising the Father for Fathers

Yesterday was Father's Day...and we celebrated after fellowship at a family friend's house, a combined celebration of Father's Day and my Dad's birthday which is on Wednesday. I wanted to spend a moment to thank God, my heavenly Father, for the ways He's manifested Himself through the different fathers in my life.

First, He is the ultimate Father. Abba. Daddy. More than just the disciplinarian- though He is VERY that too...He is also the one that comforts me in pain and that I feel secure with in the midst of it. He is very near. My comfort. My strength. The One who can do anything.

I've seen Him through these particular "fathers" in my own life:

1) My biological father- There is much pain and hurt represented there, but because of him, I ran to other things for a source of love, which then pointed me to my heavenly Father who has and continues to heal those hurts and uses them for His glory, my good, and the edification of His church. I am grateful for how God has chosen to use him in my life.

2) My step-dad- My Daddy, not always perfect, far from it, but used to show me the realities of a life that desires God and struggles through the flesh and gets to experience Him regardless. He probably has no idea how much Gary and I have learned because of him- only because, some of the learning wasn't "purposed."

3) My husband- My love, the Daddy to my children. He is SO wonderful, I don't even know what to say. He's not Jesus. Cannot and will never satisfy my heart. But because of our marriage, I am drawn to the One who does. He's so...mine. Perfect for me. The weird things, the annoying things, the hysterical things, the loving things- all designed to match mine and cause me to see God more. He's so patient with me, loving, teaches me much through the way he lives. He's such a wonderful daddy too. Comes home from a long day at work and doesn't retreat, but dies to self and gives of himself to me and to our girls, laughing, playing, doing work around the house. He is strong, firm, but so gentle, sensitive. Walks in truth. Stands for truth, even if alone. A sweet man with a peculiar sense of humor. He can make me laugh like no other. And cry like no other. And think like no other. I praise God for Him.

4) My father-in-law- Okay, can you say country man? Yes, this self professed "city girl" has a farmer of a father-in-law, and we get along very well. He needs a personal relationship with the Lord- regeneration- and that is what we pray. In these last couple of years, I have appreciated getting to know him more personally as we've both opened up and shared more with each other. He has definitely been used to refine me- his "I'll be there in about 5 minutes" is usually at least an hour later- but he's so friendly, funny, a hard worker, and wants to help others. He's got a lot of wisdom in the experiences of life he's been through. I am grateful to the Lord for him.

Thank you, Father, for these men whom you've used to show me glimpses of You. Thank you for the ways you choose to reveal Yourself. They are gifts. Not all are always pleasant, but each does cause me to see more of you. And that is our desire. Whatever the cost, whatever...be our Treasure. 

Seeing God in the Every Day

So, life continues in the Hirsch home, as the busy-ness dies down just a little. Gary was gone on a business trip from Sunday afternoon til Tuesday evening, so we stayed out at my parent's house. We had a good time with Poppy and Gammy, Tia and ChiChi. Even got to go to the pool a couple times earlier this week, and met the Igos there. These past couple of days we've just been hanging around the house, getting house work done and errands run. 

In the midst of the "every day" things, I've enjoyed getting to actually ENJOY my children, observing them a little closer and cherishing the moments that I know will seem so long ago in just a short time. I'm even beginning to enjoy being pregnant. And THAT is a miracle, people! I HATE pregnancy. I LOVE the babies, but I am not one that enjoys the whole getting fat, stretch marks, feeling sick to my stomach, more tired than I've ever felt, etc...but, that's not the case in this pregnancy anymore, well, besides the fatness and stretch marks.  :)  Really, I think this is the best I've felt during pregnancy so far. Gary jokes- see, by the end of them all, you won't even be able to tell that you're pregnant...ha.

Anyway, so Gary usually prays with Bekah at bedtime. They have their whole little ritual thing, and it kinda gets messed up when he's gone. While he was gone, I was praying with her and she asked God to please keep Daddy safe and bring him home to us safely. When he got home, she was praying with him and thanked God for bringing him home safely. Gary prayed out loud then, and asked God for strength for the next day at work, to unload the trailer. After he'd said amen, Bekah looked at him funny and said- Daddy, why'd you pray that? He told her- cause Daddy's really tired from the trip and doesn't feel like unloading the trailer tomorrow. She said- oh, okay. So, the next morning at breakfast, after thanking God for the food, she prayed for Daddy for strength. He got home and she asked him right away how his day went and if he got the trailer unloaded. He told her- half way. (this is a 24 ft trailer loaded from top to bottom) So the next day, which was yesterday, she prayed for him again at breakfast, that God would give him the strength the get the trailer all unloaded. Last night she asked him again how it went at work and if he got the trailer done. He said- yes! She was so excited and at dinner she thanked God for giving Daddy the strength to get the trailer all unloaded. And my eyes welled up with tears. Something so simple, and so necessary. What is even better is that two nights ago, after the kids were in bed, Gary and I were looking through bills, at the work schedule, etc., and were a bit stressed about things. There is a lot going on within the business right now, and it seems like there is just so much within our life as a whole, that there isn't enough time to get everything done that HAS TO get done even. We argued a little, but came to the point of just talking through things. We prayed together and then looked at it all again. It was really good, and we went to bed with not everything figured out, but confident God will work it out. Tired, but resting in the strength God provides. The next day, God answered a very specific prayer of Gary's, which was very encouraging, and then that evening is when Bekah told him she'd prayed for him and then thanked God at dinner for giving Daddy strength. It blessed my heart to watch our daughter minister to the heart of her Daddy, my love, without even purposing or knowing that she was. She was just doing what she knows to do. And she has no idea just how much of a blessing that was to us both. 

That's what I think God wants us to be like. Not so much "purposing" to bless others, as much as walking in Spirit and truth, doing "what we know to do".  The blessings to others will come as an overflowing of doing what we're supposed to be doing, walking in obedience to Him. And we might not even know when we bless others. Life in the Spirit isn't dutiful. It's delight. It's doing what we know we're supposed to be doing, but actually ENJOYING doing it. That's why it's Spirit life. Cause we can't make ourselves LIKE it. So, Holy Spirit, would you please pour yourself out today on your church? Cause us to walk in obedience and overflow to others around us. Make us aware of opportunities to love on others and enjoy fulfilling those acts of love. Glorify your name. 

Belle's Fish Party

Tonight was Belle's fish and bubbles party. She really likes fish, and she really likes bubbles. I wanted to do a princess Belle party, but Bekah convinced me that Belle REALLY likes fish and bubbles, so we did that instead. I'm glad. It was low key, with just a few families, since many were sick or just unable to come. That was kinda nice for me. Anyway, it was fun to let the kids play- we did have the sprinkler and slip 'n slide, so they had a blast with that. And we got to visit with friends, which we always love.

Belle is SO funny. Every time she's received a gift, she takes her time opening it, peeling every last bit of paper piece by piece (oh the patience!) before she'll even attempt to open it. And any clothing she gets, she immediately holds up to her and then tries to put on by herself. The independence of a two year old is so cute at times. Here are some pictures of Belle's birthday festivities:

The girls at the play place at the mall in Jonesboro, on Belle's birthday. The forecast called for rain, so my mom and I took the girls out to shop and spend the day together in Jonesboro.

Belle, the birthday girl, riding a "turtle". 

Here she is trying on one of her new outfits. It was SO funny!

Bethany, all smiles, during Belle's birthday party.

Bekah with Taylor and Brenna enjoying the water fun.

The slip 'n slide!

Like father, like daughter- Tim and baby Kara- with matching heads!

The birthday cupcakes

Max thoroughly enjoying the birthday cupcakes. :)

Isabelle Joy

Our  little Isabelle Joy turned 2 today. Oh my, and 2 she is... she is so fun. Isabelle means dedicated to God, and that we definitely pray, that her entire life would be about Him. And Joy is fitting for her, as she is such a joyful little girl- very expressive. Her personality is explosive. I wonder where she got that from?!  :)  

We were reminiscing today about her birth and how much joy it brought to our hearts as God brought healing full circle from the pregnancy we miscarried before her. I distinctly remember being in Houston, visiting, back at First Baptist in the worship center where Gary and I were married, holding her as we sang "Blessed be Your Name."  Do I need to tell you I was bawling, my heart full of joy and overwhelmed with God's graciousness to us in bringing healing, revealing Himself, and choosing to bless us with another baby I was holding in my arms?! Oh my! What a gracious God.

So today, our little Isabelle Joy, we want to tell you that we love you. You certainly have been used by God to bring joy to our hearts, and we pray that you'd be a tool to point others to the true source of joy with your expressive personality. We so desire for you to be wholly God's, convinced of who He is. We know that with your personality, once you're convinced, there will be no one who can tell you otherwise. :)  We pray God's mercy that He would turn your little heart to Him, that you'd be convinced of the Truth, and know the joy that is found only in Him.

Happy Birthday, Princess Belle!

I heart credit card rewards

Okay, so we've been wanting to get a new camera for a while now, but it's not exactly in the budget. Well, as I was browsing our credit card reward possibilities, I saw a camera that would work for us. It's not the most elaborate or whatever, but it's decent, and definitely a lot faster than the camera we have now. We saved our credit card rewards and I cashed them in for our new camera- it arrived this past week, and I'm so excited!!! We'll even have it for Belle's birthday party- yeah! (She's the main reason we need a faster one- the 2 year old that is constantly on the go!) Anyway, so today I took a few pics of the girls...

This Past Weekend

So, this past weekend I got adventurous and brave (or went crazy). These past couple of months we've been involved with a house church start here in our area. A few of the men (5 of them) went to Kansas City together to visit another house church to get some info, ask questions, and just get some wisdom from others who are older, more experienced, and reputable. 

Anyway, so since we were home alone with our children, me and two other women whose husbands were gone decided to take a trip. I went back and forth debating, but in the end, decided this may not happen often, and I really didn't want to be a party pooper. So, this prego momma loaded up herself, three girls, and all our gear for a weekend getaway. I'm so glad we did. It was a good time of just hanging out with Robin and Paige and their kids. Robin and I traveled together, and met up with Paige, her mom, sister, and nephew. Here are some pictures of the fun weekend getaway.

The bigger kids in a "boat" at the play place at the mall. After a long drive and lunch, they needed to get out their energy. And, it was great after a lot of shopping too. They did SO well for how much shopping we did. And yes, those are twin girls, Ellie & Allie. Belle was so funny, looking at them back and forth, not so sure. They all had a great time together.

I found a nice hotel-nicer than the guys stayed in!  :)  - and this table was part of the suite. The girls got to color after their baths. They were still all smiles after a long day and being up way past bedtime. 

After hitting the outlet mall in Branson and lunch, we went to the Butterfly Palace. We watched a 3D movie on butterflies, that was kinda funny at times (especially during the explaining of how they recreate, and when in the end, the butterfly was eaten. Robin was telling the butterfly to fly away...)  Bekah was concerned that a ton of butterflies were going to swarm and attack her. It was a bit comical.

You can tell in this group shot that Belle was ready for her nap...and Bekah was nervous of a butterfly touching her, which cracks me up, since she catches them. I think it was the idea of a whole bunch of them at once.

Just a pretty picture of some butterflies. I had no idea how many different kinds of butterflies there are. There were some very pretty ones. It's amazing how our Creator has designed things.

The weekend went pretty well. It was my first attempt at taking the girls out by myself (without Gary or my Mom) for anything other than our normal routine. Other than my frustrating time of trying to put up our pack n play (the new one we're using as Bethany's "bed" for right now, which hadn't been taken down in a while)- thank God for Melissa, who I called to talk me through some ideas. She had set it up at my baby shower, so I thought she'd remember. It ended up being comical- but I DID finally get that thing figured out, after at least 30 minutes of trying. Other than that, the weekend was smooth. And fun. A good time of just being together, and building relationships. I'm looking forward to more times like that. Good stuff.

 

Today

Today, four years ago, we experienced the loss of a precious baby. I was two days shy of being 14 weeks pregnant. It was physically and emotionally painful, but God was so good to us during that time. He is Comforter, and Peace. I remember, on the way to the hospital, realizing that there was music playing (it was the cd we'd had in there) and as I slowly heard the words and what was being sung, I knew God was very present, near, and all would be okay in the end. It was Matt Redmon's "Blessed be Your Name"- Blessed be the Name of the Lord, blessed be Your name. You give and take away, You give and take away, My heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name. 

And now, four years later, we have two more beautiful girls added to our one from then, and another on the way to add to our family. The beautiful full circle thing for us is that Belle's birthday is in two days. She was born two years and two days after that loss. And, as God would have it, Belle was delivered by the same doctor who had been there at the hospital during the miscarriage. The one who performed the d and c two years later delivered our next baby. It was a sweet time of healing for us. And an awesome opportunity to share with him how God used him in that process of healing.

So, Lord, as we girls go out and enjoy the day, I am SO thankful for my sweet babies! Thank you for your nearness, in joy and in pain. Blessed be Your name!