Yes, I do keep changing the background! I liked the last one but it was a little hard to read. I'm also a little bit addicted to looking at the myriad of choices! So here's to having fun and a total lack of commitment to one style!

Getting ready

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday (which I forgot and had to reschedule for the second time grrrr.) and the baby is in position! We're ready to go, folks! Afterwards I tried layering about 6 pounds of spareribs on top of it to try and get things moving but it didn't really work.
D Day is January 10th and my doctor said that's probably when I'd go. It's a nice, chubby healthy baby and Ron and I have finally settled on a boy's name in case it's a boy.
We picked up a crib and changing table and moved it into Caleb's room and I put out a few little sleepers to get ready. I've had the urge to retile my bathroom counter and paint the living room. I was even looking at the caulking around my bathroom floor and thinking to myself, "You know, a toothbrush would get that REALLY clean."

The fat fashionista

So here are some belly pics. A friend and I created these maternity jeans and we are pitching the design to a major western retail line in hopes that they will buy our idea for the jeans plus some really cool top options that we came up with. We did a commercial and then took some still photos to send to them. All I can say is I am not America's Next Top Model!

When I got pregnant with Caleb all I could find for jeans were too short, too ugly, or too expensive! What's a cowgirl to do? Hopefully if this line sells, women out here will be able to get really great jeans easily. If it doesn't sell, at least my friends can beg borrow or steal the idea from me! I'm loving teh concho belt under the belly idea, but since the baby is coming really at any minute, I might hold off on getting one till after the weight comes off. The great thing about western style is that things take a really long time (if ever) to go out of style. There's just no rush to get the latest!

Thinking on OK

You know, we heard such great teaching while we were in Oklahoma. I was thinking today on the word "agape". My traditional understanding of the word is that it means unconditional love. I think this is true, what agape love the Father has for us! But with my issues, I could never really 'get it'. I was never able to show true agape love and I had a really hard time believing God felt that way about me. These are some awesome things that came out during the conference in regards to Agape:

Agape means: when God's love is brought to it's full end.

The church has been built on knowledge, not love. But knowledge puffs up, love(agape) builds up. 1 COR 8:1-3
The whole christian package is about the love of God, because God IS love. Gal 5:6 Faith works by agape. The only thing that counts is faith(doctrine) expressing itself through agape (love).

Luthor, who triggered the Great Roformation, espoused the following belief:
Sola Fides: Faith alone. We are saved not through good living or big tithing, but through faith alone in Christ.

But now we are joining to that:
Sola Agape: Love alone. We must have both. One focuses on knowledge, one on expression of God's TRUE nature of love. Knowledge cannot be perfected, agape can. We can grow in agape.

If recorded or quoted scripture could save the world, it would already have done so. Scripture must be incarnated.

If you lead with agape, doctrine will follow.

Isn't that good stuff? I am thinking on this and how it applies to ministry with people here in Meeteetse and in the church. Both Ron and I feel the drive to see the kingdom advanced through His power and our obediance and not just more programs run through the church with us trying to get enough people to make our efforts worth it. I am loving this whole idea of agape- of faith/belief/doctrine expressed through LOVE. Not leading with what's right and wrong, but leading with God is love, He loves you, and I am trying to love you like He does.

Agape in operation:
My desire is to do you good
THis desire comes, not from me, but from my Father
This desire is seeking an opportunity to be expressed.

Just some random.

Caleb has been doing some really cute imitation things. This particular morning he was having coffee and reading time with Dad.

We also had our tree delivered by the FFA. They picked a pretty nice one! I was

so anxious to get things decorated that I decorated it that night while Caleb was asleep and then we videoed his reaction. Although what we mostly captured on video was Tilly's caterwauling in the background. Caleb loves to plug in the tree first thing in the morning.

Seeing the sights in Oklahoma

I blog way more when I don't have to upload pictures.

So this morning we had our second "Moms Together" meeting and it was great! Myself and three other girlfriends formed a team to minister to the women in our community. Basically, I felt that the women who live in Meeteetse are so isolated. Even though it is such a small town, a lot of us are in these tracks of life that don't ever cross. I wanted to make a way for women to get to know one another, form friendships, create a 'net' of relationships that in the end create a really strong community.
I desire to see relationships that were broken to be restored, and walls that have been built between women and families for the last hundred years be slowly broken down. I also want to give women a chance to feel the Lord, to get to know Him before they face some of the issues of 'religion'. I love the church, and am pouring out my life to see her grow and be strengthened, but I am not blind to the fact she has issues and does a lot of hurting to people who are already hurting.
Ron was all for starting MOPS in Meeteetse, but when I saw the format and outlines I was TOTALLY overwhelmed. I told him I could never do that and that it is way to organised for me. I like simple. I like flexible. I like not having to do all the work!
We mentioned it to a friend here in Meeteetse and she told us about a program they did in her church back home called Moms Together. When we talked more about it I got so excited- it was perfect for us! So she and I recruited two other friends and we started planning. So far we have had two meetings and they have been awesome. I love this thing and love that it is growing!

Update on Ron

So, due to Amanda's comment, I wanted to update you guys on Ron- He did in fact break his arm while in Oklahoma. Yeah, I know. I feel the same way.
I had gone home early one night with Caleb to our host home and Ron caught a ride with some wonderful new friends we had made. While they were coming home they swerved to miss a deer. They ended up hitting the deer and the airbags came out and hit Ron directly in the wrist/forearm. (they were the side impact airbags and he was holding onto the handle above his door at the time)
They took him to the hospital (thankfully noone else was injured) and did some x-rays. The docter told him that it just looked like it had irritated an old injury and to just wear a brace. Only a bullrider would have broken his wrist and not known about it! Later on they said to come back in because they thought he might have actually broken his wrist in another place.
This was all while we were getting ready to go home, so we just left with the idea of getting it checked out in Powell when we got back.
Powell's verdict- yep, a fracture in his wrist. Basically it will just take time and rest to heal. Can't do much with it, but overall, should heal fine.

The whole two weeks in OK were so awesome! SO much good teaching and meeting new and old friends that even a broken arm can't diminish what a great time we had.

Wow, didn't see that coming!

OK, OK, Ok, did NOT think my last post would create such a firestorm!!! Yes, I did want to give my mom a mild heart attack that we would laugh about later, but did not think I would recieve the deluge of calls, e-mails, prayer vigils etc.

I will say this: it's nice to know so many people care about me!

So here's the real new addition. Her name is Tilly:

The picture isn't a great one- it's hard to get a good shot of a small black blur of motion. Any hints, JoanE? She's a sweet one, and the amount of champions in her lineage is staggering. We are living with a little blue blood! However, she is behaving like any puppy- lots of chewing and quiet pooping in dark corners and sleeping. Hopefully she will turn out to be a stellar girlfriend for Tack with lots of healthy babies. That's all in the future for now- she doesn't know her fate is to be a commercial baby machine.

OK, not really. She'll have a litter a year, or every other year. And considering that her gestation period is only like 3 months, that's not bad.

Speaking of gestating, yes I still am. 8 months and counting. I have reached the point of no return- I want this baby OUT! I am tired of the whole thing. I realise things only get more complicated once the baby is on this side of the abdomen, but I just don't care. I'm tired of the fatness, the fatness, the fatness. Did I say the fatness?

Gotta run (Ha Ha just kidding) Gotta waddle slowly and breathe heavily.

Later gaters