Mary Did You Know?

Santa is fun and all, but nothing is greater than the real reason we celebrate Christmas--Jesus coming to earth as a baby to become our Savior. Mark Lowry wrote the song, "Mary Did You Know" several years ago, and its words have always touched my heart. Now, having held two newborn sons in my arms, I think more deeply about what Mary must have thought on that first Christmas morning.

Having experienced two natural labors without pain meds, I know it can be scary and painful. I can't imagine how she felt, going through labor for the first time, and in a "barn" nonetheless. I doubt she and Joseph had gone through childbirth classes or had a doctor there to catch the baby.

The angel had come to her earlier and told her she would conceive through the Holy Spirit. I think she knew that she was the virgin whom Isaiah had prophesied would deliver the Messiah to the world. But, did she really foresee the pain and agony she'd experience 30 years later when people rejected her son's teachings and later crucified him on the cross? Did she fully understand that her little baby was the Son of God?

I love what Mark Lowry writes at the end of his book based on the song:

By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved.

Peter had to believe for himself. Thomas had to believe for himself. James and Jude had to believe for themselves. Mary, the mother of Jesus, also needed a savior. She had to believe for herself. And because we have chosen to believe in the virgin-born, crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ, we know we have received eternal life.

And this, for sure, Mary knew.

Mark Lowry singing "Mary Did You Know?"

Song Lyrics:
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am.

Praise to the GREAT I AM, and a Merry Christmas to you all!

Christmas with a 4-year-old

Four-year-olds have to be some of the most gullible creatures on earth, and ours is making Christmas really fun this year.  We emailed Santa asking him to bring the gifts early, and he granted our request. Here he is wearing the Superman sleeper and Lightning McQueen shoes from Santa, and a helmet and light saber from a friend at church!

Playing Santa Claus When Traveling

My husband and I have family in Indiana and Canada, so we have spent every Christmas in either of those two places. This year, we're going to Indiana.  Now that Jacob is four years old and really into the Santa Claus thing, I had to think about what to do about Santa Claus bringing his gifts. It looked like our options were to:

1. Bring the gifts with us from Maryland to Indiana. (An option, but not one that I considered for long. Our car is always jam packed the way it is.)

2. Ship the gifts to Indiana. (Not really an option either because of cost, and we'd have to just ship them back.)

3. Ask Santa to bring the gifts early.

The third option seemed to be the most practical, so I told Jacob a few weeks ago that we'd email Santa and just ask him to bring the gifts on Dec 17, the Saturday before we leave. After a few matter-of-fact discussions, Jacob thought it was a good idea, too, and reminded me that we'll have to leave the door to the fireplace unlocked. With the advanced technology we have today, and world travel so much easier, I'm sure Santa won't have a problem granting our request.

So, this afternoon, we emailed Santa (using my mom's email address), with a request to come early and a list from Jacob and Lucas. Now I just have to find a "lego board" like they have at school. I tried to ask for more details, but he assured me that Santa would know what it is. Toys R Us, here I come.

Have you traveled over Christmas and had to play Santa? I'd love to hear what others have done.

Starting a Thanksgiving Tradition

I've thought lately about what kind of traditions we could start as a family, and I read an article in a parenting magazine about how different families shared their thanks at Thanksgiving. One family had an "album of thanks" (basically a folder with notebook paper), and every year on Thanksgiving morning, they would take time before the day got hectic, and would sit around the table, drink coffee, and write down what each person was thankful for that year. Their kids are older now, and they said it was neat to look back on what they'd written in years' past.

Well, the whole "sitting at the table and leisurely drinking coffee and sharing our thoughts and thanks" concept probably isn't going to happen for a few more years, but I liked the idea. And, there's no time like the present, so I started a "Reginald Family--Why We're Thankful" album.

We got around to filling it out this evening while Lucas wandered around and can hopefully make it a yearly tradition. Most of our thanks revolved around being able to pay the bills and save money to do so while I stayed home with the boys this year. Jacob is thankful for his toys, Lucas, Mommy and Daddy, and his hats. I'm also thankful for the friends we've made, like the ones who came over and shared a meal with us today. God has blessed and faithfully brought us through another year. Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Baby Is One!

We celebrated Lucas's first birthday yesterday! The year has flown by, and it's sometimes hard to believe it's been that long since we brought him home from the hospital as a tiny newborn.

Earlier in the week, he got his first haircut with Miss Tammy. I remembered how much older Jacob looked after his first haircut and told her not to cut off all of Lucas's baby curls. He had taken off both shoes and socks during the 5-minute ride over there, so I yelled at him when we got to the shop and I was frantically trying to put everything back on, knowing we were already late. That made him cry, and he wasn't in a good mood when we got there, but he soon warmed up to the ladies at the beauty shop. And, he did a good job of sitting still on my lap for his trim.

On Saturday, we celebrated with family friends whose son is Jacob's age. They like Indian food, so I made buriyani, beef curry, and a few other things. I bought a regular birthday cake and Lucas's smash cake at Safeway. He dug into his cake like it was the best thing ever and went to sleep about half an hour later with a belly full of sugar.

Happy Birthday, Lucas!!

Jacob is 4!

Jacob turned 4 years old today! We celebrated yesterday, since it was the weekend, with beef curry and roti and chocolate cake. We spent the morning making construction vehicles out of his new legos while Lucas took a really long nap. It's 104 degrees outside right now, so I hope it will cool off enough to go outside later.  Happy birthday to Jacob!

Using Resurrection Eggs To Tell the Easter Story

Jacob and I have been going through the Easter Story this week using Resurrection Eggs I bought a couple weeks ago at the local Christian bookstore. I've seen them before, but this is my first time using them.

It's been a great experience for both of us! He can't wait to open an egg or two each day to see what's inside, and the eggs come with a book that tells the journey of Jesus to the cross. As you open each egg, you read the next part of that story from the book and see what's inside. The first egg holds a donkey, and you read about Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The last egg is empty, representing the empty tomb on Easter morning. 

The book tells the story in easy-to-understand language and gives the Scripture as well. I've enjoyed going through it with him, and it's a neat way for me to remember Jesus's sacrifice during Holy Week. We started opening the eggs on Palm Sunday and will open the last on Easter--or maybe the Saturday before. I think we're down to only three eggs.

Lucas Bradley

Our second son and Thanksgiving baby, Lucas Bradley, was born on November 19, and I’m just now finding time to post again. Been a little busy…and sleep deprived. He started sleeping through the night (5 or 6 hours at a time) when he was 6 weeks old. Last night, it was from 9 pm to 7 am. That makes for one happier mother!

Lucas was due on 11/20, and I had an appointment with the OB/GYN on Friday the 19th at 4 pm. She said I had dilated a centimeter but didn’t think I’d “do anything” soon and scheduled an induction for that Tuesday. We wanted to schedule it on Monday, so that I’d be out before Thanksgiving, but they were booked. So, we went home and just figured I’d be there over Thanksgiving and someone would have to pick up my sister, Sarah, who was flying in from Indiana on Wednesday. My mom had flown in a couple days before.

So, we were eating dinner, and I thought I was having mild contractions fairly regularly. I called the doctor, and she thought it was just from being examined a couple hours before. She thought I should wait an hour if I came to the hospital, but she said I could go ahead and go if I wanted to. So, by 7 pm, I thought I was having contractions every 5 minutes, and Nelson and I headed for the hospital. Thankfully, Mom was there to watch Jacob.

When we got to the hospital 45 minutes later, the nurse said they’d monitor me for an hour, and if nothing had happened they’d send me home. Still, nobody thought I was in labor, but I was 2 centimeters by then, so she said that was a good sign. Half an hour into the “monitoring”, I started having painful contractions and pushed my call button and asked if she could check me. Sure enough, I was 5 centimeters. The nurse finally confirmed she thought I was in labor, and I immediately asked for was an epidural—something I didn’t get with the first birth because it went so quickly. She said she’d have to run fluids for 15 minutes, and then we could do the epidural. Right then, fear struck that it would be a repeat of last time. I really wanted an epidural this time around.

Well, the next thing I knew, the doctor showed up. She checked me, and sure enough, I was 9 centimeters. I’m not even sure if all the “fluids” were run. I was just in excruciating pain, and the doctor broke my water so I could start pushing. After I’d pushed for a while, Lucas’s heart rate went down, and the doctor said we’d have to do a c-section if it didn’t go up. Then, I heard the nurse say to the other nurse, “Can you help him?”, and looked over to where my dear husband, Nelson, had been standing. He’d fainted. Eventually, I pushed Lucas out, and Nelson had awoken in time to take pictures of him getting a bath and weighed.

He was born at 10:59 pm, almost 3 hours after we arrived at the hospital. He was 21.75 inches and almost 7 lbs. He’s absolutely beautiful! Jacob loves being a big brother. These first 6 weeks have been rough, but I am blessed.

Construction Zone Cake

Ok, here's the construction zone birthday cake. I didn't think it turned out too bad for about 15 minutes of work and no artistic ability. And, Jacob just loved the cake eating part.

I found the construction set at the dollar store, and all the stickers peeled off the pieces after I washed them, so everything went in the trash except the 2 trucks.

We invited a mom friend of mine and her family over for a cookout, and they have one son who is a week older than Jacob. They played great together--minus the whole toy "sharing" thing--so hopefully we can do it again soon!