Dare alla Luce

In Italian, the literal translation of "to give birth"— "Dare alla Luce"— is: "to give to the light". I have been pondering this translation alot lately. Soon, my sweet little boy will be born and I will have the responsibility of not only delivering him into the world or bringing him into the light, but also to help give him light. To teach him of the deliverer of all men. Jesus Christ.

Light is such amazing imagery and symbolism. I have often wondered what darkness would be in my life without the knowledge of the gospel in my life. It gives me so much light when I stand in dark places. I love the scripture “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” D&C 50:23-24.

It sometimes feels like a huge responsibility to have this new soul rely on me so heavily while he is so small and innocent. Being a parent, isn't easy but I hope to try and do my best as a mother.

I want him to know how much I love him. I want to teach him about the Savior, Jesus Christ. For with that knowledge, he will know who he is and who he can become.

For as the Savior has promised, "he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness" (John 8:12). Christ will always be there to illuminate our path.

I have seen and felt that light in my life and I will share its warmth and comfort with you my son. Come to the light my little one... You will find love here.
-Mommy-

Cravings & Stuff

Well today was my 36 wk appt. Only 4 weeks left! Woohoo! The best part is, I haven't gained as much as I had imagined. Even with all the weird cravings I have had throughout this pregnancy. Here are a few. I know I am strange, but I am sure others have been more outrageous. Hopefully, I will be over my FRESCA phase soon and my new found favorite, Black Cherry Fresca. YUMMY!! I feel like my baby may have Fresca running in his veins when he is born. That could make for interesting diaper changes...Does it smell like grapefruit in here to anyone else?!?

I love to ride my Bicycle...I love to ride my Bike!

Zachary and Tanner love to ride their new big wheels. Everyday they ask to go outside and ride. Its fun to see them enjoying something so much. Unfortunately, they cant reach the pedals yet, even with the seat adjusted up close (the bikes say they are for 3-5 yr olds, maybe they were modeled for Larry Birds kids?!?).
Anyway, here are some shots of them hauling down our hill. Its still freezing so the coats are still in use here in Pennsylvania. Please hurry up SPRING!

HAPPY EASTER 2008!

Easter was a fun day at our house this year. Zachary and Tanner are finally at the age that they are excited to wake up the next morning for surprises. Zach kept telling me that "Rabbits no eat eggs". Which I think means Rabbits don't lay eggs. This brings up a good point! Why do we have Rabbits, carrying around eggs? Why isn't there an Easter chicken?!?
The boys spent Saturday dying hard boiled eggs with mom and dad. They loved it, but cracked nearly everyone dropping them into the cups of color. We also made Easter basket cupcakes. They were yummy!! Sunday morning they came down to baskets with candy and summer clothes, & new church ties. They also got some insect catchers with butterfly nets, magnifying glasses and lots of pretend bugs. They love the huge spider that came with the sets. They also found some sweet wheels when they saw their new BIG WHEEL bikes! Man, that Easter bunny is out of control.
Sunday after church we had two families from the ward over. All three of the moms here were pregnant and we had 7 children running around all ready. It was an overload of kids for the dad's who were trying to wrangle kids for their pregnant wives. Good men!!! I cooked a 4 lb pork tenderloin for the first time. I didn't burn it and the flavor was great! Yippee for Eden!
We had a great weekend.

Hair Cuts

Daddy gave the boys haircuts. A nice Summer Buzz. Which mom wasn't too thrilled with. Regardless, I still think the boys are darling, even though they look like have been wintering in Auschwitz. Zach certainly lives up to his nickname given by his uncle Taylor, he calls him SVEN, because he looks very Scandinavian. Well...they ARE German!
Here are some pics of before and after. And some pics just because! The scratches on Tanners face from Zachary as an Easter present. Such brotherly love.

Leggo my Preggo.....

Well, I still haven't figured out this darn blog spot. And I thought I was so computer savvy?!? I will see if this works or not. In case you don't remember much about my health history when it comes to my children, I will update you.
In 2003 after an ectopic pregnancy, I was diagnosed with Severe Endometriosis, which had blocked my fallopian tubes and caused many fibroids and lesions. Our only option for children was to do In-vitro-fertilization. A process that was HORRIBLE and emotionally draining. However, we were blessed to have two eggs stick on the first try and we had our sweet little boys Zachary Welker & Tanner Michael. They were born in Feb 2005, prematurely at 32 wks gestation and stayed in the NICU for 7-8 weeks. They are now healthy and happy 3 yr olds. A little over a year after they were born in 2006, I got pregnant on my own but suffered a second ectopic pregnancy which destroyed my fallopian tube and nearly killed me. Flash forward to July of 2007, after all that trauma, I discovered we were pregnant, au natural!! Heavenly Father does hear prayers and blesses us daily. It is a miracle that we are so grateful for! I am due April 28th 2008! Which is only about 5 plus weeks from now! YIPPEE.
I will post a couple of pictures. I don't usually like to see pregnant bellies, but for principal sake I will. Notice the ENORMOUS tattoo.....any questions? No, this is not fake. Do not do this!!!!!!!!!! Very stupid. Oh the follies of our youth! And lets not talk about what is left of my bellybutton...eeewwww! Sorry to gross you out. But, everyone always asks me to see what it looks like.
I cant wait to meet our new little boy! And I cant wait to not be pregnant anymore. As much as I love the end result, pregnancy isn't easy. As I was complaining about sitting for a long time in the car the other day,I was reminded of Mary riding a donkey to Bethlehem pregnant and due any minute. What a brave woman! I can barely sit for 1 hour through sacrament meeting without getting horrible pain!!! Oh well, it will be worth it!

WINTER TIME FUN

Grandma sent a fun Christmas package this month. It had some great hats in it, that she handmade. We were all really excited to get them and try them on. I also thought I would add some pictures of the boys outside in the cold weather with Daddy (from Feburary not Dec). Not much to say about Pennsylvania snow. There hasn't been much to speak of. We have had some pretty scary ICE storms this year. But, not much in the way of accumulation of snow. I am grateful, I hate driving in bad weather. Hopefully the springtime will still be green and lovely