The Bishops Pulpit

Economic Freedom & Income Equality

2012-02-20T10:03:00.000-06:00

Amen!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/8B_btJT8kzw?fs

Reformation Appropriations of Creedal Theology and Contemporary Methodology for Understanding the Past: Calvin’s use of Chrysostom in the Institutes of the Christian Religion

2012-01-22T21:00:00.001-06:00

Curran Bishop--Calvin’s use of Chrysostom in the Institutes

Introducing Hudson Davis Bishop!

2012-01-20T22:36:00.003-06:00

Digital scrapbooking design generated with Smilebox

Another Keeper - Potato & Pork Soup

2011-12-14T20:06:00.003-06:00

1 diced onion

2 tsp. butter

2 tsp. minced garlic

5 potatoes, peeled & diced

1 tsp. Better than Bouillon

1 lb. ground pork, browned

1/4 package frozen peas

1 c. heavy cream (maybe more... I just eyeballed all the ingredients until it looked good)

1/2 c. cheese

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. parsley

Saute onion in butter, add enough water to cover the potatoes and boil until tender. Add rest of the ingredients and let simmer.

Verdict: Oh my yumminess! It's hard to go wrong with such rich ingredients, but this was amazing, and very filling.

Grandma

2011-12-12T15:16:00.008-06:00

My grandmother, Mary Hudson, passed away at 83 years old this past Friday morning. I will be missing her viewing this evening and her funeral tomorrow morning because I'm 36 weeks pregnant and unable to fly. While I'm sad for this loss in our family, I'm happy for her. She suffered from Alzheimer's and has not been the same woman that we knew and loved for several years now.

I'm not exactly sure how tall Grandma was because she was actually shrinking in the last few years, but at 5'2" I pretty much towered over her! She shopped in the kid's section for clothes and sometimes could wear my hand-me-downs or my sister's. She probably only weighed about 80 pounds because she walked EVERYWHERE. Even on the muggiest, hottest days, Grandma could be seen walking around Boca and occasionally friends of mine would mention that they'd picked her up and given her a ride to work, home, or church.

My Grandma was a feisty, spunky Italian woman. Anyone who knew her well, knew that she loved to argue. She HATED to have her picture taken and most of our family get-togethers involved at least one heated argument about why my Dad shouldn't be taking her picture. (He would still sneak in candid shots whenever given the chance, which we're all grateful for now.)

My grandmother loved her grandchildren well. She had a special relationship with my brother, Will, and I still remember her playing what she called "sock ball" with him when she came to babysit us. For years she worked at 7-11, and every Tuesday on the way home from school we would pop in and immediately head to the freezer section, looking through the sodas to see if we could find Grandma back there. She'd come out and hug us and give us free Slurpies.

My older brother, Dan, loved to play practical jokes on Grandma- which was easy to do since she was extremely gullible, and it was so funny to get a reaction from her. So, there was the hot sauce incidence when he pretended to be putting seasoning on her spaghetti (which backfired big-time for Dan since my parents made him eat it), the fake slamming of the fingers in the trunk; and the never-ending hide-n-seek game where she thought she'd lost him since he was in an alcove above the shower.

One of my favorite recent memories of Grandma is from Christmas just a few years ago. My husband and I had given her a huge box of Belgium chocolates (about as long as she was as tall). In the hour or so that it took us to open presents as a family, Grandma had polished off the entire box. Every time we looked over she was sneaking another bite. She's been known to do the same with the remnants of a pie from Denny's as well. Needless to say, it's obvious that I come by my sweet tooth quite honestly.

While these short stories don't do my grandmother's life justice, they help me in a small way to process my love for her, and help me remember the great love she had for her family.

Love you and miss you, Grandma.

-Abby

(Thanksgiving 2010)

Third Trimester, round 2

2011-11-06T21:41:00.009-06:00

The second half of this pregnancy has absolutely flown by! (I definitely could NOT say the same about the first half-- I basically spent the summer laying on the couch while watching Ellie entertain herself, pushing Ellie away from the toilet when I needed to puke, and just generally feeling lazy, tired, and nauseous. Plus, the nausea lasted about a month longer than it did with Ellie-- all the way to week 20!) Anyhow, it's hard to believe that I'm now in third trimester, and still feeling pretty darn good, especially compared with last time.

*I'm not nearly as uncomfortable as with Ellie- I carried her so high I felt like I couldn't breathe.

*I've had some heart episodes like last time, but no panic attacks since I now know that I have a harmless arrhythmia that is exacerbated by the extra blood flow in pregnancy.

*My back has not hurt at all. PRAISE THE LORD!! I have been so lax in exercising and haven't done my water aerobics or been to the chiropractor at all during this pregnancy, so it's all just GRACE.

*I've been sleeping well. With Ellie I would end up sleeping an hour on the couch, an hour downstairs in the recliner, an hour in bed, and then just rotate. I'd sit cross-legged on the couch with my head resting on the back of the couch and actually sleep like that because it was the only way to get comfortable with my back pain. This week was the first time I slept on the couch for a couple of hours, but it was more due to pregnancy insomnia and having a lot on my mind than actually being uncomfortable.

*We actually got some maternity pics this time (taken at week 28)!

*I'll be full term in like SIX weeks. Yikes. SO much that needs to happen between now and then (wrapping up both part-time jobs for maternity leave), but I am SOOOO excited to hold our baby boy!

21 Months

2011-10-31T15:17:00.020-05:00

Here are some of my favorite Ellie-isms lately:

*She's so polite and often says "dak-oo" (thank you) to me even if I'm just walking by and stroking her hair or handing her a drink. She also says "shoo-me" (excuse me) if she wants to get by, or if she burps. :) And, she totally melts my heart when she says "Wuh-loo...Mommy" (love you). I love the little pause in her new "sentences."

*She's obsessed with her new owl jammies. I hear her saying "Hi, Owl!" from her crib in the morning. (Love how she talks to inanimate objects!)

*She is quite the extrovert. Every morning I hear her going through her list of friends (people she sees at church, school, family members, etc.). She's been known to ask "Amy...soon?" at least 50 times in a given day.

*She's been sleeping a solid 12 hours at night (7 pm to 7 am) and most days takes a 2 hour nap (2 -4 pm). Of course, this bliss is probably about to come to a end as we get ready to transition to a toddler or twin bed this weekend (so baby brother can use the crib in a few months).

*She's really into reading lately and often says "Mommy... sit" while patting the floor next to her. Then she'll say "lap" and back herself up into my almost non-existent lap. Favorite books right now are "Nernie" for The Sesame Street ABC Book and "shool-ee" for Grover Takes Care of Baby (which has a picture of a stroller on the front).

*She says "Uuuhhhh, no." Most of the time this is pretty funny, like "Um, let me think about it...no." Unless, of course, she's disobeying and not doing something I asked, then, not-so-cute.

*She sings "Uppa, uppa, uppa, GUY" (translation: "up above the world so high") while rocking her baby to sleep. This video was taken about a month ago, but she can sing the entire tune perfectly now.

*Potty training is going well and I honestly think that if she wasn't in the school nursery 20 hours/week and I could actually try putting her in underwear that she'd be trained by now. Most of the time she LOVES going and sitting in there (chocolate chips = great incentive!) and is now to the point where she's sometimes telling me "po-lly". She pees in the potty multiple times a day, but doesn't yet keep her diaper dry.

*She has conversations with her stuffed animals or babies and I'll frequently hear her say, "Yeah, Oh-kaay," like she's agreeing with whatever they've just "told" her. I also love it when she says "Wooow....pree-lly."

*She started counting "one, two, free!" last week. Most of the time she's gets a bit confused and says "one, two, one" or "free, two, free". We think she really gets the concept of two though because when we give her one yogurt or one chocolate chip, she immediately says "Two?"

Man, I love this kid. :)

20 Months

2011-09-24T21:44:00.009-05:00

*Ellie has over 70 words now...I'd been keeping track on a spreadsheet out of curiosity, but now in one day she can say as many as four new words! Yesterday as I was giving her a snack she said pointed into the kitchen and said "working" clear as day--referring to her Daddy who was indeed working in the kitchen. :)

*In the last week she started putting 2 words together. It started w/ "Bye, Daddy", but she's beginning to generalize to other 2 word phrases now as well like "more...cracker".

*Current favorite snack is crackers & peanut butter, or apples & peanut butter.

*She took a 3-wk hiatus from being interested in the potty, so yesterday we decided to give one chocolate chip just for sitting on the potty to renew interest. Lo and behold! In less than a minute she had pee'd in the potty! Then, an hour later, she did it again, and today, again.

*Her current favorite song is the wheels on the bus. She makes her fingers go around and says "whee, whee, whee". My favorite verse for her to sing is the "babies on the bus go wa-wa-wa" 'cause she makes the funniest little fake-sad face. (Still need to catch this on video!)

*She's obsessed with bikes. She also loves cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, and buses, but she is absolutely infatuated with bikes (she is her father's daughter, for sure!).

*She runs everywhere, with great purpose and is starting to learn how to jump. She doesn't actually get airborne, but she's close! She also loves walking backwards and gets a very proud look on her face while doing so.

Win a MacBook Air...

2011-09-19T13:24:00.002-05:00

Win a MacBook Air from Accordance
[and clicking on the link increases my odds...:)]

Easy Pumpkin Soup

2011-09-11T14:14:00.003-05:00

1 onion
1 Tbsp. butter/olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 can pureed pumpkin
1 c. water
1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. shredded cheese (colby jack was good)
salt & pepper to taste
nutmeg (optional)

Saute onion in butter or olive oil 'til tender, then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 min.

This is surprisingly filling, but would be great w/ grilled cheese or garlic bread.

Girl or Boy?

2011-08-19T21:25:00.002-05:00

Mommy: Do you think the baby is a girl or a boy?
Ellie: Buh.
Mommy: Do you think the baby is a boy or a girl?
Ellie: Guh.
(Notice in each case it was the last thing she heard that she repeated.)
Mommy: Do you think the baby is a girl?
Ellie: Yeah.
Mommy: Do you think the baby is a boy?
Ellie: Yeah.

Hmmm, gender confusion, much? :)

We find out this Tuesday!!!

Random cuteness

2011-08-11T15:29:00.009-05:00

* Ellie loves to pretend that she is eating (still her favorite activity). She opens one hand, palm up, and "picks" something from it with her other hand to put either in her mouth or my mouth, saying "ummm" after each "bite". She came up with this all on her own!

* The girl loves to hug, and gives GREAT hugs. She'll wrap her little arm around my neck and press her cheek right next to mine (*melt my heart*).

* She's started "reading" to herself. I'll catch her with a book going "Ah-bit-tib-it-ibah. Yeah!"

* She's had 5 potty-time successes! She's loves just sitting on the potty, and reading/singing/talking for up to about 10 min at a time (great improvement from when we started about 3 wks ago). Mostly the successes are due to Mommy noticing a dry diaper after a nap, or a particular face she is starting to make... but two times she has actually told me she wants to go!!!

* The answer to EVERYTHING right now is "Yeah". "Ellie, do you speak German?" "Yeah." "Ellie, am I the best Mommy in the whole world?" "Yeah." :)
(I realize that soon she will probably go through a "no" phase too, so I'm quite content to hear "yeah" for now.) Currie & I are having fun asking her all sorts of ridiculous questions just to hear her little answer. :)

*She is singing more and more. Last night we had our community group over and I was whispering her bedtime story to her while people shared their requests. Then she started singing "Ba-ba-ba.... Da-da-da...." (her version of Up above the world so high...). Without me saying a word, someone said, "Is she singing Twinkle-Twinkle?" It was the most recognizable she's sung it yet!

Tomatoey-Basil Yumminess

2011-07-26T21:00:00.006-05:00

Lately my favorite way to cook is just to make things up as I go and eyeball how much/little of something to put in. The problem with this is that when I try to replicate it, often I can't get it quite the same and it never ends up living up to my memory of the original yumminess.

Tonight I made a tomato-basil pasta that was delish (may have something to do with the fact that this is only the 3rd day I haven't been nauseous in NINE weeks and pasta was a definite no during that time!). Here's an approximate recipe so I can make it again:

-2 Tbsp butter
-1 onion (diced)
-2 tsp minced garlic
-1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
-1/3 cup white wine
-1 tsp Better Than Bouillon (chicken)
-2 sprigs fresh basil (sliced)

Saute onions and garlic in butter. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 min. Serve over whole wheat penne pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

BabyB2.0: 16 weeks!

2011-07-26T20:20:00.008-05:00

Well, the official announcement (everyone knows it's only official once it's on Facebook) took place about a month ago, but here are the pictures anyways.

We announced to our family while we were in FL for Ana's graduation. Currie took a family picture and said "Say cheese", then he took another one and said "Say Abby's pregnant". Everyone was quiet and probably confused, plus I don't think everyone heard him, but eventually it started clicking and we got this reaction. :)

And, here's what the baby bump currently looks like at 16 weeks:

Four weeks from today we find out what we're having!!! :) A

18 Months

2011-07-23T20:06:00.014-05:00

The ticker at the top of this page says my baby is 18 months old today! To celebrate this milestone, this morning we went for donuts. We gave Ellie her own cake donut with one, pink candle and then sang "Happy Half-Birthday to You". I think we may have to keep up this little tradition for all future half-birthdays.

This afternoon we had her portraits done. They turned out great (which makes it SO hard to choose only the poses our budget will allow)! As per the photographer's suggestion, we took some of her favorite toys: her white bear and her basket of veggies. This helped SO much. It kept her busy and the lady was able to capture some real "Ellie" poses. (The picture below is not one of them, but she is cuddling her white bear.)

I feel like Ellie is doing so much now and gaining so much independence so quickly that I hardly know where to begin! Of course, if I had blogged even once in the last 5 months I wouldn't be in such a pickle. So, settle in for a loooong post, people, in the format of random items that I love about my Little Honey, or just things I don't want to forget. Don't worry though, if you stick with me 'til the end of the post, I'll reward you with an adorable video. :)

*She loves to hold my hand when we pray for our food, and always says mee-maw for amen. Lately she uses the other hand to cover her eye when I say Close your eyes.

*She loves to put on her winter hat! Who cares that there's a heat advisory going on and that it makes her little head sweat while she's playing inside, but she loves the darn thing. Typical Ellie is her with this little hat on, her purse slung over her shoulder, and her white bear stuffed under her armpit. :)

*She LOVES for us to sing The Itsy-Bitsy Spider and tries wholeheartedly to do the hand motions. She's also started singing herself recently and is experimenting with getting louder.

*She points to anything and everything and says Eh! at least six thousand times a day. I have to constantly remind her to say it, or sign it, or I play the guessing game as to what she wants. I think she will be SOOO happy to be able to talk, because she obviously has a lot to say.

*I've been using the family calendar that I made to teach her everyone's names. So far she can say Dee Dee, Papa, Will (W-uhl), Nene, Dan, Addie (Ah-duh), and, by far her favorite one to say of all, Eli (E-ya!!). I have caught her several times leaning on the coffee table, studying it herself. Other new words include water (wah-wer) and apple (ah-pul).

*She's becoming more and more independent in the eating department. We've been reluctant to let her "have at it" because neither of us likes to be messy. But now she can successfully use her little fork to eat sausage & scrambled eggs, she likes to have crackers and cheese in her little compartmentalized tray, and tonight she was delighted to discover that she could dip her fries in ketchup!

*We're in the beginning phases of potty training. We bought Ellie a potty chair and a doll that wets and has her own potty chair, we've been reading books from the library about going potty, we let her run around w/o a diaper so that I can monitor her patterns and so she can figure out what's happening, etc. The first time she peed on the floor she looked down like What just happened?! Why would she know? It always happens in her diaper... She does point to her diaper now immediately when she wants it changed. All good signs!!

*As of today, my baby is completely weaned. I think I would be much sadder if I didn't know that she was completely ready (we were down to just the morning feeding and she's been more and more distracted and ready to play). Also, I know that in 6 months I'll have another little mouth to feed, which makes the weaning a bit easier. Still, I had to really force myself to make the break today and her 18-month milestone was a tangible goal in my mind. (Though writing this is now bringing the tears as I process the finality of the whole thing). Truth be told, I am really going to miss those precious times of holding and cuddling.

*She still takes two naps: 1-2 hours in the morning and about 1 hour in the afternoon (on a good day...sometimes she just likes to skip a nap altogether to keep us guessing). She's still a solid 11 hour sleeper at night, going to bed at 8 and getting up at 7. (This may be changing...this past week she's let us sleep in 'til about 8:15 one morning!!)

And, now, because you've earned it: An Adorable Video:

2011-05-02T14:04:00.001-05:00

Something to think about:

The original Keynes vs Hayek rap:
http://econstories.tv/2010/06/22/fear-the-boom-and-bust/

Round 2:
http://econstories.tv/2011/04/28/fight-of-the-century-music-video/

(okay, so I've found a new direction to express my nerdy-ness, but it's funny!)

Why I love teaching in a Charlotte Mason school

2011-03-28T13:33:00.007-05:00

Today I listened to this in preparing to teach my 3-year olds about American Robins. I even discovered that American Robins and European Robins are completely different birds, w/ different scientific names. (Don't laugh, I'm new at this, folks!)

I came across this beautifully illustrated book: The King of the Birds. The back page is a key that lists the 48 different birds that are illustrated on page 12 of the book. Absolutely gorgeous. (I keep an Amazon wish list for Ellie because I come across so many ~~great~~ living books in our school library.)

I read up on Mary Cassatt in this book, looking specifically at this painting. Last week the kids had fun lounging like this Little Girl in a blue chair that I brought in from the office. Their imitations of her expression were priceless (next year I'll bring my camera)!

In short, I love the fact that as I plan my lessons for this week I am learning right along with the kids; what better way to spend a morning while Baby Girl takes her nap?!

Little Miss Chatterbox

2011-03-18T21:52:00.003-05:00

I think we're in for it. The last couple of hours went something like this:

It's all happening so fast!

2011-03-03T19:23:00.010-06:00

This month I feel like someone pulled a lever that has propelled us into Full Speed Ahead; Ellie is doing so many new things these days I can hardly keep up!

She:
*signs more, eat, up, and all done (the last is always accompanied by taking off her bib)
*has taken a few very timid "baby" steps without holding on (I've seen it twice about a week apart); she can walk just fine holding onto my pinky, but is just very reluctant to let go

*covers her own eyes to play peek-a-boo
*rocks her baby back and forth when I sing rock-a-bye-baby
*can crawl up stairs and go down them backwards (her daddy taught her this)
*is stuck on the word bobby- not sure if she just likes the sound it makes or if she's trying to say bunny or something, but she has said it a hundred times this week!
*LOVES to say uh-oh; I think she purposely drops things so she can have a reason to say it!
*greets everyone we pass in the grocery store with an enthusiastic Hi!!
*has gotten super cuddly w/ me b/c she's hit full-on Stranger Anxiety phase and I just eat it up!
*immediately looks around for Bunny when I get her up from her nap, and then shows her to me, then kisses her multiple times on the nose (*adorable*)
*identified where mommy's nose is for the first time yesterday
and,
*screamed Dada! when Currie walked into the room tonight!

She is such a little munchkin, and I just love her to pieces!!

My One-Year-Old!

2011-01-31T20:19:00.014-06:00

It's high time for an Ellie update! Some of these things she's been doing for at least a month, but I'll record them anyway since my posting has been rather infrequent and since I haven't been keeping a traditional baby book:

*waves bye-bye and started saying "bye-bye" this week (especially when I hang up the phone)

*favorite activity has been taking things in and out (and in, and out, repeat ad naseum - I discovered coffee tins are great for this!)
*can put the stacking rings on/off by herself
*can put the shapes into her toy, with Mommy's help to find the right shape first
*says "baby" when she sees her baby doll or another baby; hugs, squeezes, and pats baby

*her menu options increased drastically the week before her bday; now she can eat almost anything we eat (still haven't tried nuts or honey) - this girl still LOVES to eat and doesn't refuse anything!!
*holds her spoon to feed herself, then returns it to the bowl for Mom to fill the spoon again
*uses her whole hand to "help" get food into her mouth (This is the messiest she's every been...normally she is very neat! Doesn't she look pleased. as. punch. in this picture?!)

*reaches out for mommy or daddy (she's been super snuggly lately)
*puts her hand up to her mouth to blow kisses
*gives kisses and leans in to touch your cheek (just not simultaneously yet!)

*starts clapping her hands when she hears me sing "If you're happy and you know it..."
*cruises around the room and crawls to get across the room
*helps to dress herself; pulls her shirt down over her head and offers each arm for her sleeves
*her top left tooth came in (and, she's discovered she can bite, AHEM. Ouch.)

*said "goodbye" to the paci this week; this was super hard for me to let go of, mostly because I feel like she's growing up too fast, and that somehow she won't be my baby anymore, but I do feel we made the right decision for her. Currie has so much trouble with insomnia and remembers hating sleep as a child; we wanted to do whatever we could to prevent her from having difficulty sleeping and we'd heard taking it away sooner will prevent her becoming dependent on it. (Today is day 4 sans paci. Naps have been difficult, but she went to bed no problem last night and tonight.)

*And, finally, a gratuitous picture Just Because.
I cannot resist her adorable dimples in this one!

Resolutions

2010-12-31T20:17:00.003-06:00

Over the last couple of years we've made quite a few resolutions (not necessarily at New Year's) in an effort to create a more healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle:

*switched to glass kitchen storage containers
*drink out of stainless steel bottles
*stopped using the microwave (almost entirely)
*created a compost system to reduce kitchen waste and use on our plants
*planted tomatoes
*started buying local honey (does wonders for Currie's allergies)
*switched to grass fed beef
*started buying raw milk and organic eggs from a local farm
*had a natural child birth
*use wheat grass, garlic, GSE, to boost immunity when starting to feel sick rather than defaulting to antibiotics (also use humidifiers to help cold/coughs)
*use cloth diapers
*use clothes line for said diapers when possible
*purchased home w/in 5 miles of where we work, worship, and study
*used no VOC paint for all interior painting
*installed eco-flow showerhead, more efficient toilet, etc. during renovations
*reuse materials whenever possible during renovations
*use homemade furniture polish & all purpose cleaner w/ kitchen ingredients
*bought motorcycle to reduce gas emissions (gets 68 mpg vs. 16 mpg for the truck)
*traded out said 16 mpg truck for 19 mpg minivan (okay not a big difference), continue to use little 34 mpg car as primary vehicle (even on road trips) instead of comfy minivan
*use bicycle to commute when possible (Currie)

Things I'm thinking about for this year:

*planting a veggie garden
*eating more fish (actually any amount would be "more" for us!)
*decreasing sugar & flour intake (based on Nina Planck's Real Food)
*buy more local/organic fruits/veggies
*eat more fruits & veggies!
*exercise more regularly (need to decide what this would look like for me)
*go to bed before 11

(These are the tangible resolutions...every year I think about spiritual disciplines as well: less worrying, coveting, complaining, more praying, reading the Bible, focus on others. I have significantly less progress in these areas!)

Any other suggestions that I haven't thought of??
And, oh yeah, Happy New Year!!!

10 months: wishing I could freeze time

2010-12-01T20:59:00.012-06:00

*still loves her bath; funny how sticking this kid in water can make her go from fussy to delighted almost instantly
*pulling up; pretty "mobile"- a hundred times a day I think she's going to crawl for the first time because she gets so close, but every time she sits back down or just decides to lay on her belly, or sit back up
*1st tooth on Oct 7 (8.5 mo); 2nd tooth on Nov 21th (10 mo)
*loves standing and walking with me
*uses her index finger to point and to "lift the flap" on her books
*wobbles her head to "dance"; loves music
*first costume: Ewok (c'mon, even Ewoks sometimes get tired and need their pacis)

*sits up from being on her tummy
*says "ba-ba-ba-ba-by" all the time; loves to jabber
*is learning to feed herself, but only with her spoon- she is not a barbarian!
*sleeps from 8 pm to 7 am, w/ her bunny

*loves people and playing w/ the big kids at the nursery at my school
*favorite toy is currently her musical piggy bank & coins- and books, always books
*first taste of "grains" was grits @ breakfast w/ her great grandaddy

and finally
*loves the beach; she splashed in the waves, banged shells together, and did not protest one bit to be covered in sand from head to toe...
a girl after her mommy's own heart <3
and now, for your viewing pleasure, sounds of a happy baby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvxQyuYHwhQ

baby book entry: 8 months

2010-09-26T17:47:00.006-05:00

*says dada, yaya, bobobob, and (*finally*) mama!!
*scooches backwards off a blanket
*menu options include: egg yolks, banana, avocado, applesauce, sweet potato, peas, carrots, zucchini, yogurt, pears, green beans, cantaloupe, broccoli
*she has started rocking and then tipping herself onto her face from a sitting position, then ends up on her tummy to scoot...I think crawling is right around the corner (yikes.)
*we've figured out that she can roll over, just generally chooses not to :)
*her fine motor skills have improved drastically...she likes playing with my hair band and transfers it between her hands
*she takes my hands in hers and makes them clap
*she likes to bang two toys together
*puts her paci back in her mouth (she's been doing this for probably a month now)
*LOVES bath time, books, and eating
*went through 5 days of intense pain from teething (LOTS of drool & low grade fever), but still no teeth!!
*she'd been sleeping from 7 to 7 until we traveled & she started teething; for the last month she's been waking up at least once a night
*had her first tent camping experience last weekend at the church retreat (while teething!)
*super ticklish on her belly & under her chin
*(very) vague/ideal schedule: wake up 7; nap 9-11; nap 1-3; sometimes afternoon nap or just down time in crib around 5; bedtime 7
*I'm starting to wonder if her eyes are turning more gray than blue
*almost everywhere I go with her someone tells me she looks like a "Gerber baby" (I can't argue with that!) :)

Win an Ergo!!

2010-09-11T11:29:00.002-05:00

Hi ladies,

There is this awesome contest going on right now to win an Ergo baby carrier! I've been wanting one for awhile and have searched all over the country on craigslist to find one for cheaper...but the problem is, few people ever want to get rid of their Ergo because they love it so much!

Here is the link on how to enter the contest-- super easy!!
http://www.heavenlyhold.com/pages/contest.htm

Irons in the Fire

2010-09-09T20:18:00.007-05:00

Life is about to get a whole heck of a lot busier around here. Starting Sunday I have three "hats" to wear: Sunday School Coordinator at our church, SNAP tutor, and PreK3 teacher. (Not to mention wife, mother, housekeeper, etc.) Yikes. This week I've been running around like a crazy woman getting ready for all three roles to start the same week. Here's a sneak peek at what I'll be doing for each position:

-Sunday School Coordinator: recruit teachers (this proved harder than one would imagine!), order curriculum, coordinate subs when needed, be in classrooms, act as support for teachers (this is a volunteer position)

-SNAP tutor: case manage for 6 kids (read: paperwork!), plan lessons for small group instruction focused on strategies to improve written expression, task management, math reasoning depending on each student's individual needs (this will be 2 evenings/3 hrs. each evening)

-PreK3 teacher: play with/teach eight 3-yr olds, plan lessons in reading/writing/math readiness, picture/composer/nature study (Charlotte Mason style), go on enrichment trips (this will be 2 mornings/5 hrs. each- Ellie will be across the hall in a nursery)

While each of these positions is really exciting to me, I get overwhelmed thinking about dishes, laundry, dinner, (cloth) diapers, baby food, and kitchen renovations on top of everything else!! Still, I am SOOO thankful that I am not teaching full-time, but that God has given me these 3 outlets (not to mention the finances) in the educational world so that I can spend more time with this sweet girl:

Super Trooper

2010-09-09T20:09:00.004-05:00

Well, the Bishops have had a CRAZY summer! Last week I realized that our little Munchkin had slept in about fifteen different locations in the space of two weeks. She's a trooper!

This summer we made it to:
Boiling Springs, NC (Charlotte Mason conference)
Atlanta, GA (my roomie reunion)
Nashville, TN (General Assembly/mini-fam reunion)
Boynton Beach, FL (to see parents, aunts, grandparents)
Dalton, GA (to see bro, sis, nephew)
Lookout Mtn., GA (to see bro @college)
Dalton, GA (to see bro, sis, nephew, & NIECE!!)
Atlanta, GA (Cov friends reunion)

One Year Later...

2010-08-28T21:02:00.003-05:00

We've been in our house one year this week!

Then:

Now:

6 Months

2010-07-20T20:23:00.007-05:00

I cannot believe this little angel will be 6 months on Fri!!

Here are some snippets of what she's been up to:

*started solids last Wed. Her first food was mashed, soft boiled egg yolk. She loved it! This week we gave her banana and she was practically diving for the spoon. Next will be avocado!
*discovered how to splash in the bathtub last night for the first time, and proceeded to splash for the rest of her time in the tub. SO cute. She also loves to lap at the shower head when we rinse her off; she reminds us of a little kitten.
*found her feet!

*makes a very distinct "ga-ga-ga" sound, especially when she's hungry.
*can move around when we lay her on a blanket, or in bed. Yesterday when I went to her crib, her head was in the same spot, but she was completely upside down from how I'd laid her in there.
*is transitioning out of her swaddle blanket. Most day time naps she sleeps with her hands above her head now...with her Bunny, who she loves very much. She rubs her eyes constantly when she's tired, which is why the swaddle blanket was so necessary for so long.

*likes to turn the pages when we read to her.
*reaches for things, especially my hair! Most of the time she's sooo gentle with feeling it though. She likes it when I let it fall into her face when I'm bending over her so she can touch it.
*transfers objects like rattles from one hand to the other.
*is very verbal; she squeals, and explores her falsetto like a little opera singer. Most of the time this is what I hear on the baby monitor as she's waking up and "talking" with her Bunny in her crib.
*loves being outside, especially on the porch swing.
*watches people, especially when they're talking.
*is not rolling over yet! BUT, she's great at tummy time, and I think that she'll almost be crawling before she'll roll over. She pushes up on her arms super high and scrunches her legs towards her belly to inch forward.

Giggles!!

2010-05-30T17:05:00.001-05:00

(The bed has no sheets because she wet them when we put her in bed w/ us this morning...)!

Sweet talker

2010-05-30T16:48:00.001-05:00

Lovey Bunny

2010-05-17T20:23:00.001-05:00

Ode to a Supermom

2010-05-09T16:45:00.004-05:00

“This morning I woke up at 6, drank my 2 cups of coffee, got the kids ready and dropped them off at school, came back, showered and changed, took Will to Publix, came back home, cleaned up and did a load of laundry while I talked to Dan, washed some dishes, made Will his lunch, took it to him and ate with him, went back home, paid some bills, ran to the post office and by that time it was time to pick the kids up again, so I got them from school, took John to the dentist, called Ab while I picked up some groceries, picked Will up, made some dinner, folded the laundry, took the kids to youth group while Will went to dance, got some gas in the van, picked the kids back up, helped Ana with a homework project, straightened the living room, and crashed into bed.”

All I want to know is, how do you do it?!

Thanks for all the sacrifices you make for your family.

Love you, Mom!

Mommy got caught unaware!

2010-05-07T19:40:00.000-05:00

Ellie discovers a new way to use her teether

2010-05-07T19:05:00.001-05:00

More about Munchkin

2010-04-16T12:15:00.005-05:00

A few more things I've been wanting to record:

-Ellie is blowing bubbles now.

-She rubs her eyes when she's tired.

-She rolled over for the first time on Wed. We thought it was probably a mistake, but she did it 3 times that day!

-Instead of craning her head over her shoulder to root like she used to, now when she's hungry she lets me know by licking her lips repeatedly. :)

-She's started having "conversations" with us. My favorite time of day is first thing in the morning (shocking, I know, 'cause most of you know that I am so NOT a morning person). But, this is when she's the happiest and gives us huge grins and "talks" to us.

-We think she has Currie's allergies. Poor thing. The pollen has been horrible this week and when we slept w/ the windows open she woke up super congested. I can clean her nose w/ that nasal aspirator 10 times in a row and she won't complain. In fact, I think she likes it 'cause it helps her breathe.

That's all for now. I'm still in awe of how these silly little things can mean everything to me! Currie told me he read my last post while at school and it made him miss her! We sure are smitten over this Little Honey.

3 months

2010-04-14T13:09:00.017-05:00

It's high time for an Ellie update (read: Beware of long post!)

-Ellie's first "social smile" was on Mar 13, the day of the St Patty's Day run. However, she's come a long way in the smiling deparment, just this week. Before we had to practically stand on our heads to get a teeny smirk; now it's full-on open mouth, nose-scrunched, squealy grins almost every time she sees us (or her elephants, or her mobile).

Here she is giving a grin w/ her Aunt Shanna.

-We can't really call her Grunting Gerta anymore, because all the grunts have turns into adorable coos. Now her sounds mimic language a lot more and are absolutely precious.

-She's gone to a 4 hour eating schedule. The girl still packs it away, but now she goes longer between feedings. She's been eating at 8, 12, 4, and 8, and one middle of the night feeding around 4:30/5:00. Since I'm going back to work next Monday I am moving her schedule back an hour so that she'll eat closer to 7, 11, 3,and 7. I would love it if I could wean her from the 5 am feeding, (it's not even a full feeding...more like 8 min rather than 20) but she still seems genuinely hungry.

-She likes to kick her legs furiously and wave her arms up and down when laying on her back. Yesterday she lay in her bassinet and realized that if she kicked it shook the whole bed, so she really went to town! In the pic below her legs are a blur 'cause they're go, go, go...

-Ellie LOVES her carseat. She seems like a born traveler. In fact, each time we've taken her out for a walk she has ended up falling asleep 'cause she's so comfy in the carseat.

-She has officially been dubbed a "summer" by my Aunt Dee. In our family we stick religiously to buying according to our color schemes so that all our clothes mix and match. Mommy's a winter and Daddy's an autumn, so now we'll have to learn a new color palette when shopping for Ellie's clothes. (I'm still in shock that I have a blue-eyed beauty!)

-She's not a huge fan of tummy time (yet). She can hold her head up for a long time when we're holding her, but she gets frustrated after only a couple minutes of being on her stomach. I am trying to increase this amount of time since our Parents as Teachers rep reminded us of all the benefits of tummy time.

-Confession: our daughter is a paci-holic. I mean serious. addiction. What's funny is that somehow Currie and I have taught her to cough to get the paci. I have no idea how it's happened, but that's how she lets us know she wants it. Or, she'll open her mouth and lean towards her chest because she knows it's down there somewhere, and that it magically appears when she does this. Recently, when that doesn't work, she has figured out that she can shove her fist in her mouth for a similar effect. :)

I'm sure there are lots of things I'm leaving out, like her first trip to the beach, her first flight, her baptism, etc. but most of those I have recorded on our calendar (or have upteen million pictures to help me remember).

p.s. I have videos of several of the above that I am desperately trying to upload, but they take FOREVER. Any tips on quicker options?

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T20:41:00.001-05:00

I'm an Ellie Expert

2010-02-26T16:15:00.009-06:00

So a friend of ours recently told us that we'd spent the last month becoming "Ellie Experts". I love this phrase because it recognizes that as her parents, Currie and I understand and relate to Ellie better than anyone else at this point. In the past 5 weeks we have learned what Ellie's idiosyncrasies are, we can predict how she'll respond to things, and we know what her little grunts and noises mean. And I can't even begin to explain how much joy this brings us.

In an effort to document some of these idiosyncrasies before she outgrows them (and before I buy a baby book to record them in), here are some of my favorite things that little Ellie does:

-She often sneezes twice in a row, but when she doesn't she thinks she will, so she ends up faking the second sneeze and yells "aaahhh" (this is by far my favorite thing she does and it is my mission in life to catch it on video before she stops doing it!).

-When I wake her up from her nap for a feeding, I know she's ready to eat by kissing her cheeks. When I kiss her left cheek she turns and starts to root and ends up "kissing" me with her mouth open; when I kiss her right cheek she turns to that side, roots, and ends up "kissing" me again.

-As documented by some of the previous videos, Ellie is noisy!! She loves to grunt, even in a sound sleep, and was keeping Currie and I awake at night until we learned that it really didn't mean anything. I realized that if she really needed us she'd let us know by crying. We've already gotten knowing looks in our direction during church when people hear her little grunts...though they assure us that they sound louder to us than anyone else. :)

-Just like her mom and dad, Ellie likes to eat. From the first time she latched right after delivery, she knew what she was doing, and she just goes to town. She is not dainty about it either; she is a gulper and chugger and is normally done with a feeding within about 20 minutes! The lactation consultant at the hospital told me that most babies take 6-7 sucks before swallowing; Ellie takes 1 suck before swallowing! She also vocalizes with each swallow and it sounds like she's saying "mmm", "mmm", "mmm."

Here's an overview of what her schedule looks like right now:

-Ellie eats every 3 hours during the day. Most of the time I have to wake her up to eat, and then I try to make sure that she has close to an hour of awake time before her next nap. By the time I feed her, change her diaper, and give her a little tummy time the hour is up and she is getting drowsy.

-At night she can normally give me at least one 4 hour stretch before needing a feeding. She normally sleeps through the feeding (sometimes I doze too), and only occasionally does she wake up after I put her back in her bassinet...then the fun begins. :)

-She tends to have one fussy period in the late evening. Currie's gotten really good at calming her down. He swaddles her really tight, puts her on her side, gives her the paci, and then "shushes" and rocks her. These are the "5 S's" from the book The Happiest Baby on the Block and they really seem to help Ellie calm down.

Well, most of my readers know that it took us two years, a fertility specialist, and a surgery (to remove two large cysts caused by endometriosis) to get pregnant. There were many tears cried and many prayers prayed before God mercifully answered by giving us our Eleanor Rose. So I hope it's obvious from this post how much we absolutely LOVE being parents. I get choked up thinking about how absolutely LUCKY I feel to have her. And to my dear friends that are still trying... know that I am still praying for you. Being an "Ellie Expert" is a huge privilege and I so long for you to have the opportunity to be an expert for your little one too!

Enjoying her new mobile

2010-02-24T14:23:00.005-06:00

And this is why we call her Grunting Gerta

2010-02-19T11:34:00.005-06:00

Yes, mommy's watching figure skating in the background...

Genius, or just a happy accident?

2010-02-19T11:18:00.003-06:00

Pictures

2010-02-17T16:17:00.002-06:00

I've been adding more pics of Ellie on our FB album.

Also, I added more to the bathroom album. So glad this project is almost over!!

Sweet girl

2010-02-09T18:34:00.002-06:00

More video for the grandparents (and aunts, uncles, cousin) far away

Ellie's version of CrossFit

2010-02-06T18:49:00.003-06:00

The Birth Story (because some of you have asked, and because I'm already forgetting...)

2010-02-05T17:05:00.009-06:00

So we’d been hoping all along that Ellie would come after her due date, Jan 28^th. The two main reasons were that 1) we were in the middle of a bathroom renovation, and 2) the longer I could work before she was born meant less time I’d have to return to finish out the school year. So I had really convinced myself that she was going to come late. She had other plans, however.

(Click here to keep reading...warning: it's long!)

For her fan club

2010-02-03T20:58:00.001-06:00

Her first trip to House Church ... we heard about Nelson Jenning's trip to Ethiopia w/ the Warren's ministry to people with AIDS

This is Ellie keeping her paci in her mouth... she was up from 9 am to 2 pm being fussy, until mommy caved and let her try the paci. She was asleep in two seconds flat. Mommy is now a fan of the paci.

Checking out her elephants again...

Ellie notices her elephants for the first time

2010-02-03T20:57:00.001-06:00

I thought Ellie was sleeping in her bassinet...turns out she was wide awake just looking around. I moved the elephants in her mobile just a little bit and she tracked and seemed interested. She is my doll baby. :) A

Ellie's many outfits

2010-01-29T23:08:00.002-06:00

I think Ellie went through 5 different outfits today!

Ellie getting hungry

2010-01-28T11:32:00.001-06:00

Sorry about the grainy-ness, but I had to lower the quality to get it to post since it was such a big
file...

More pics

2010-01-27T20:39:00.001-06:00

Pictures of Ellie's first days

2010-01-27T20:38:00.001-06:00

Latching onto Daddy's nose!!

Introducing Eleanor Rose Bishop

2010-01-26T13:34:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

It's the Final Countdown...

2010-01-18T20:43:00.011-06:00

Today seems momentous given there are only TEN days left until my due date. I've started saying "next Thursday", which seems so weird after saying "Jan 28th" for almost 9 months.

So I've been getting the "Are you ready?" question for a couple of weeks now, and the answer is still, most definitely, no! :0 Not because I'm not ready to meet her... I can't wait for that! But, we've been renovating our bathroom for over 4 weeks now, and there are still tools and dust everywhere, not to mention projects that still need to be completed. I've been chronicling the renovation on FB for my fam, so you can see the pics here.

We've had a very busy month of getting ready: weekly dr. visits, 2 prenatal visits w/ our doula, lots of projects revolving around getting the nursery ready, trips to BabiesRUs for the last minute necessities/exchanges from shower gifts, lots of baby girl laundry, finding a pediatrician, writing a birth plan, making checklists for our hospital bags, etc., etc. I have had to do all of this in moderation 'cause if I stay on my feet too long my Braxton Hicks kick in and my stomach gets super tight.

I am really hoping and praying that this baby comes at least a week late so that we have time to be more ready. And, the later she comes, the less time I'll have to go back to teaching at the end of the school year. I envision that being a very difficult 6-8 weeks with a newborn, given I have to get up at 6 am to teach regardless of how much sleep I'll be getting! I know that labor can start at any time (I've been thinking about that fact for the last 2 weeks already), but so far I've had no indication that she is ready yet. She hasn't dropped; in fact, I still get comments about how high I'm carrying her, and how small she is. To me, this is a good sign- my sub is ready to go the minute she gets my phone call, and my students are prepped that it can be any time now, but I am still really hopeful that I can squeeze in a couple more weeks of teaching before the Big Day.

Of the things I'm looking forward to (aside from getting to meet and hold my daughter, obviously!!), surprisingly enough wearing my normal clothes ranks pretty high up there. Also, not having to sit down after 20 minutes of activity due to the fear of going into early labor; not having to guess what labor will be like or when it will happen; seeing family who will come to visit; having help w/ the house projects that didn't get done in time; and BETTER sleep, though perhaps not more. Sleep has been pretty elusive these last months as I wake up numerous times during the night due to back pain. My body just isn't used to this extra weight... So, shedding these extra pounds and being able to breathe easier sounds really good about now too.

I realized I haven't updated about my pregnancy since the "Adventures in Third Trimester" post, in which I had several health scares/issues. Thankfully all of that has been much better- fewer heart racing episodes, fewer panic attacks, and no worries about gestational diabetes. It has really been a very healthy end to the pregnancy and I feel surprisingly good; just a bit uncomfortable at times, which is to be expected at this point. So thanks for listening to my ramblings. Soon we'll be updating with pics of our sweet, baby girl. And, we'll finally be able to share her name! It's been fun to keep people guessing, but I've discovered that I am too much of an extrovert (read: verbal processor) to like keeping secrets!

2010-01-18T11:48:00.004-06:00

My aunt just wrote a really helpful post for anyone who ever has to think about motivating people: "Nonprofit marketing recipe: Hope + individual stories + progress"

She points out that, "we respond to stories of hope and transformation, not stories and statistics of desperation." I remember thinking this after a speaker who visited the seminary tried to "guilt" us into joining his cause by talking (statistically) about how bleak the outlook is in his field and how much better our ancestors did at missions than we do. I left the talk thinking how much more impact speakers had who talked about their personal interactions with people and who viewed the obstacles they faced as opportunities rather than barriers. This speaker did tell one story about getting to know some men in his neighborhood by drinking with them (taboo for most people from an evangelical tradition). That one story resonated far more with the audience than all the statistics and negative outlook because it was personal, and hopeful. We got to see a snapshot of his life and some hopeful relationships he was building.

While she is applying ideas to non-profits in general, I think the insights are valuable to churches specifically (as it seems that we often look to 1950s marketing paradigms for our ideas currently...). She points us to marketing ideas that would also be endorsed by a biblically consistent Christian theology: humans are intrinsically relational (thus we connect with stories about individuals, not statistics) and humans innately know that that the suffering and pain we confront all around is is not as it is supposed to be (thus we are hopeful, and respond to hopeful ideas that look to defeating such pain).

Thank you Lois Kelly!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T15:42:00.003-06:00

This was our first Christmas away from family (since I obviously wasn't going to be traveling...). While we'd been a little sad when we first realized we'd be alone, we actually had a wonderful day! God has been so good to us in giving us friends that feel and act like family, that welcomed us into their homes and gave us lots of good food!

We started out the day by enjoying french toast, reading the Christmas story from the Storybook Bible, lighting our advent wreath, and then opening presents together. Currie then stuffed his first turkey and we headed off to church at OOC. (We've always wanted to attend their Christmas service, but have always been out of town.) After church we did a little more cooking, then headed over to enjoy quite a feast at our friends' house.

More pics here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132402&id=500377983&l=8a59e9590d

Project: Get Nursery Ready

2009-12-22T17:38:00.004-06:00

Day two of Christmas break and we have seen a lot of progress already! We had a very kind friend come over and paint our whole nursery!! Plus, he put our crib together for us!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131529&id=500377983&l=1dfe5aa7e6

Project: Remodel Ugly Bathroom

2009-12-21T20:13:00.003-06:00

This morning I took an extra long shower 'cause I knew it'd be my last in our ugly bathroom!! So I have a different place lined up almost every day this week where I'll be showering (for the off days it'll be sponge baths...). I'm just thankful that I have TWO weeks off of school, and we're praying we can get it done within that time frame. Please pray w/ us that there will not be any unexpected complications (even though every single person I've talked to have told us that there will be)! So far, so good. Check the facebook link for more pics.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131241&id=500377983&l=a808be080c

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-03T16:24:00.006-06:00

My brother's friend from church agreed to take these pictures for us after the service...I think they all turned out great!!

Just the kids...

The whole sch-bang! Yes, all 11 of us stayed in my brother's 3 bedroom house. I was thankful that my bros slept on the air mattress in the kitchen, my bro and sis-in-law slept on an air mattress in my nephew's room, my parents slept on the pull out couch, my aunt & sis slept on the guest bed, and WE got the master suite. :) Perks of being pregnant, I guess. Anyhoo, I was very grateful since sleep is a rare commodity these days!

Empiricism

2009-11-25T08:47:00.002-06:00

"The Metaphysics of Quality subscribes to what is called empiricism. It claims that all legitimate human knowledge arises from the senses or by thinking about what the senses provide. Most empiricists deny the validity of any knowledge gained through imagination, authority, tradition, or purely theoretical reasoning. They regard fields such as art, morality, religion, and metaphysics as unverifiable."

--Robert M. Persig, Lila: An Inquiry into Morals.

In other words, empiricists have to re-invent the wheel a lot.

What I question is, do we have to view such fields as unverifiable? In the case of art, the content of the communication is received through the senses - watching a dancer, listening to music, even touching a sculpture. In the case of morality it seems that the claims of a given moral can be tested in our own sense experience, or that of others around us (at some level we have to have criteria for accepting some of the sense experience of others or we really do have to not only reinvent the wheel, but do molecular examination of each bite of food we take to make sure it is indeed food [not to mention that we would have to develop such examination methods entirely ourselves]). Metaphysics that claim to merely be imaginative speculation would be unverifiable, but it seems most metaphysics are based on ties (however tenuous) to sense experience--so the validity of the ties is what comes into question. In the case of religion, most religious teachings are in texts which we experience ourselves and can test aspects of with sense experience (to determine whether the authors are trustworthy), and most of those texts claim to be the result of the writer's sense experience of the deity, or extrapolations from previous writers' experiences. I'm not sure if Mohamed claimed his writing to be revealed to him by God (an instance of the former) or, rather, written through him by God (which, since it lacks the humans sense experience, would be unverifiable if we don't allow God's sense experience as valid for argument). In the case of authors like Moses, Isaiah and Matthew, they claim to be writing the result of their sense experience encounters with God. In the case of a writer like Paul, or the author of Ecclesiastes, they generally claim to be explaining or applying the work of previous writers, or that which is obvious from experience. Paul does develop new things, but he generally does so by inference from previous writings, not by just asserting "thus sayeth the Lord."

Adventures in Third Trimester

2009-11-10T20:16:00.006-06:00

OK, so it's been a rough few weeks as I've hit 3rd trimester. Several things happened all at once:

First of all, I started having episodes of racing heart and feeling very light-headed/faint. Fortunately, I had an episode right when my OB walked into the room and he was able to observe my heart rate go from 158 to 77 within the space of about a minute. He referred me to a cardiologist who then took an EKG and put me on a heart monitor for 24 hours. I was hooked up to 5 electrodes and had a pager-like thing that I had to sleep with. Of course, I did not have a major episode while the monitor was on, so this week I'll go pick up a 30 day monitor that I will activate when I start having an episode. They believe I have something called SVT that is a type of arrhythmia. It's not life-threatening, but can be serious, because if it lasts for more than 10-15 min. the baby wouldn't be getting enough blood.

Second, I failed my one-hr. glucose test which meant I had to do the three-hr. glucose test to determine whether or not I have gestational diabetes. I HATE NEEDLES. I mean, HATE. So, I was pretty nervous since they do 4 blood draws in the space of 3 hours. The Lord really gave me peace and I did pretty well at staying calm. They let me have a room and just lay down the entire time and listen to my iPod. Currie also came along and kept me company. The good news is: I passed!! Hallelujah. I didn't even want to think about having to check my blood sugar four times a day (like my co-worker who has GD).

Third, I am pretty sure I am having panic attacks. I think this has been brought on by the racing heart episodes, and the fear that it will happen when I'm driving, etc. So, Thurs. morning on my way to work I had to pull over twice onto the shoulder and lower my seat so that I wouldn't pass out. I walked straight to the nurse's station once I got to school and I was white as a ghost. My pulse and blood pressure were normal and she said it sounded like it was brought on by anxiety (I'd had a good breakfast, all my tests had come back normal, etc.). Since then I've had several other episodes of feeling pressure in my chest, like I can't get my breath, and like things are just closing in on me. At this point I don't know if the heart thing causes the anxiety or the anxiety causes the heart thing! I don't feel like I'm worried about things, but when I sit back and think about the major changes that have happened in our lives since Aug. they are pretty significant (new house, still settling in, TONS of projects to be done, unknown future plans if Currie doesn't get into the PhD program, new baby, etc.)!

Anyhoo, I got a much-needed break this weekend. I flew down to FL to see my fam and boy did I get the royal treatment! My aunt arranged for my 2nd cousin (a massage therapist who specializes in prenatal massage) to come to our house and give me a massage. My mom treated me to a pedicure (only the 2nd one I've ever had in my life). I got to go to the beach each day, we ate out, visited, and shopped. Here's some pictures of my "solo babymoon". :)

4 generations (one in utero) together

Breakfast at IHOP

The beach was SUPER windy each day, but to me it was heaven.
The picture is so foggy 'cause of the salt on the camera lens.
Whale at the beach...

2009-11-09T11:12:00.008-06:00

This weekend I took a S24O (Sub-24 hour Overnight--See Grant Petersen's article "S24Os" in Adventure Cyclist January 2007) trip (but on a motorcycle) to Pere Marquette State Park to figure out motorcycle camping. I had more stuff than need as I brought a small library to work on a paper--but despite all this junk, the bike still got better than 74 MPG!

Halloween Par-tay

2009-11-03T20:16:00.005-06:00

This is probably the first Halloween that Currie hasn't dressed up in either a kilt or a cloak. :) However, in true Currie-fashion, he had to be authentic, right down to shaving the beard so he'd look younger (I've only ever seen him w/o a beard like 3 times in my life). Anyhow, we had fun and got lots of compliments. :)

I made a "pumpkin" cheese ball and my friend and I made Marshmallow Witches together.
(Check out tasteofhome.com for the recipes.)

The mean ole' gas monopoly

2009-10-27T09:22:00.001-05:00

Is there a way that word of mouth can effect irresponsible merchants when they aren't competing for your business? Here's hoping:

Our gas company--Laclede Gas of St. Louis--ignored our request to cancel service at our old apartment and over-billed as a result. After paying more than the portion we owed and spending more than four hours on the phone and writing letters explaining our case they just sent us a very rude final collection notice for the remainder of the illicit bill. Since I don't have time to fight them, I have to just pay it.

I'd like to change to a competitor but the only way to do that would be to change out all our appliances for electric; highly impractical and I know from other people's experiences that the electric company is no better.

It seems that on some level, though, negative public sentiment towards irresponsible utility monopolies must have an effect on the company--but does it?

I like big bellies and I cannot lie...

2009-10-24T15:04:00.001-05:00

26 weeks

Joel Salatin at Webster U.

2009-10-07T10:22:00.004-05:00

I got to hear Joel Salatin (of Polyface Farm) speak at Webster University on Monday night. It was an amazing experience. His insights seem so right on, and his presentation style is masterful. Salatin uses his passion for the topic to energize the audience. He is a good speech constructor (His speech followed the Polyface Farm's work cycle as an organizing principle to move through the topics he wanted to address). But the magic is that he can say whatever he wants because he’s doing what he does so well. For example: he described his operation as a land-healing “ministry” (by which it was clear he meant it was a religious action), talked about the ecosystem as God-designed, spoke of the importance of moral philosophy over science, etc. in a very diverse context and received outburst after outburst of spontaneous applause. The audience giving those ovations ranged from the very conservative homeschool family I stood beside in the book line, to the feminist professor of sexuality I passed in the lobby, to the Mennonite family I walked to my car behind, to the tie-dye clad, throw-back hippie students I sat beside during the talk. His style works because he himself is living proof of what he's saying. He isn't just suggesting theories, he's proving his method rigorously, practically and holistically (by which I mean the opposite of simplistically). People want to hear what he has to say, and will take whatever it is and however it challenges their paradigm and offer a standing ovation because he is doing it well!

2009-10-02T17:55:00.002-05:00

This sounds like a very cool company (and a very cool product). They're holding a special - link to their site, and click on the link, and you get entered in their contest to win an urban utility bike given away every week! (so yes, this link counts as my entry, even though you could say my bicycle "quiver is full" - it's just such a cool concept!)

21 weeks...and growing!!

2009-09-17T19:31:00.006-05:00

Our Sweet Baby Girl

2009-09-09T17:41:00.001-05:00

This is the view we were looking at when we got the news!!
Poor baby, her first embarrassing photo and I'm posting it on the internet...

These two are profile shots. I don't think they're especially clear, but cute, nonetheless. :)

Here's where she decided to wave at us! She has such a cute little arm muscle, huh?! :)

And, finally, my personal FAVORITE. The ballerina pose...notice the pointed toes!

Covenant Friends Reunion 2009

2009-09-08T21:08:00.002-05:00

Click here to see more pics.

19 weeks

2009-09-02T21:09:00.003-05:00

Ha! I tried to button my jean jacket tonight and it will barely close. :)

I still can't seem to get a decent picture that actually reflects what I look like, but here's the best of the not-so-great options. Excuse the clutter, we just moved in. :)

Big Happenings in the Bishop Household

2009-09-01T17:41:00.004-05:00

We're first-time homeowners (yup, we'll be lookin' for that tax rebate, baby)!!!

Click here to see more pics on Facebook

Aug 22 was Moving Day. This pregnant mama didn't lift a thing, and yet I still felt like I could have gone to sleep for the night by 3 pm. We couldn't have done it without the help and support of so many sweet friends!

Click here to see more pics on Facebook

First Belly Pics

2009-08-08T13:06:00.007-05:00

Well, if you check this blog w/ any frequency, you've probably already noticed a couple recent additions: "tickers" to countdown until Jan. 28th, when we hope to meet Baby Bishop (otherwise currently known as Bito)!!!

So, Thursday we hit the 15 week mark and I've begun to document the belly growth. We discovered that it's really hard to get an accurate view, 'cause in person my stomach seems a lot bigger, but this is as good a shot as any (I promise, Mom, I'm not pooching).

Nationalism in the afterlife...

2009-07-26T23:17:00.000-05:00

Heaven is where the police are British, the chefs Italian, the mechanics are German, the lovers are French, and its all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is where the police are German, the chefs are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and it's all organized by the Italians.

--seen on a t-shirt...

Out of the mouths of "babes"...

2009-05-07T16:27:00.003-05:00

Ok, not "babes" 'cause they're 7th graders...

Today the kids had a chance to write notes to their teachers/principals/counselors for Teacher Appreciation Week. This was my favorite one-- to the guidance counselor:

"Dear Mr. ____, Thank you for helping me with my problems, even though you have your own problems."

A close second was to another teacher:

"Dear Ms. _____, Thank you for making class fun, except for when you're mad..."

You know it's time for summer break when you catch yourself about to call one of your students "idiot"

2009-05-06T17:26:00.010-05:00

With 16 days left of school I feel I am at my wits' end. I am being snippy w/ my students ('course they've been snippy w/ me all year...), crabby, exhausted, and just OVER IT.

I am frustrated at the point my students are at, becoming 8th graders in 3 short weeks. I don't feel like they have learned strategies to cope. They continue to want me to show them how to do things, basically to the point of doing it for them. But I'm NOT doing it!!! I am really backing off and letting them make mistakes, reminding them that they should have listened in class, read the directions, saved their notes, studied, etc. No more spoon feeding. Period. It will only set them up for failure next year.

Today our math lesson had the students cutting out "nets" to create cylinders, pentagonal prisms, and triangular prisms. I repeated several times that the students should cut out the shapes as one whole unit (not cut off the top and bottom circles). I even SHOWED them how it should look and yet I still had a student who did exactly what I warned them not to do!! And, I did not fix it for them or give them another sheet! I reminded them that they should have listened to the directions and that the only way I could have done more to help them avoid the mistake is if I would have cut it out for them, which I was not about to do for an almost 8th grader.

I know this shouldn't be a big deal, but I am just so tired of how much students want you to do for them. It makes me feel like I've failed them that they still want me to hold their hands and walk them through each step. I am determined that I will do better next year at teaching study skill strategies, rather than focusing on how to do individual problems.

Mommy, look what I made!!

2009-04-25T17:37:00.003-05:00

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

2009-03-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

St. Patty's Day 2009

2009-03-15T19:29:00.003-05:00

Our lil' apt all decked out...can you tell we like this holiday?

This is the shirt Currie earned for running in the 5 mi St Patty's Day Run downtown. He beat his personal best by 2 minutes, running w/ about 7,000 others!

Little Win Curry...just turned a year old last week. (Good thing Currie mopped the kitchen!)

Wickers, Tamara, & Browns...getting ready to play telephone pictionary. Everyone brought a treat to share. We had Irish soda bread (2 types), stuffed baby potatoes, green punch, green apples, and green guacamole.

All in a Day's Work... of Teaching

2009-02-20T17:41:00.000-06:00

I am a 7th grade special ed teacher in a public school. This makes up a huge part of who I am, what I think about, how I view education, disabilities, teenagers, parents, math, writing, etc. Oddly enough, today I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever made a blog post about my teaching. Most of the blogs I read are of my friends from college or seminary and since most are my age(ish), most of them are moms that are posting pics of their kids, their thoughts on parenting, etc. Since we don’t have kids yet, I guess I don’t normally think I have anything post-worthy unless we’ve been on a trip, had a special occasion, or have pics to post.

As I think through my day today, though, I realize that it is post-worthy. I need this outlet for reflection and for my own reference. I also desperately need input from other Christians who are special education teachers! So here is the first post of what will hopefully be many others related to my teaching.

Today I:

-helped students cut out “nets” of graph paper to cover plastic boxes as they learned about surface area & volume – the curriculum we use has the kids use manipulatives and hands-on activities to learn the concepts behind things rather than just giving them formulas. I was SHOCKED by one student in particular who I never knew had such poor fine motor skills. I had to help him trace and cut each design. I wonder why this student has such difficulty in this area? I wonder how I can help him overcome this? A 7th grader’s cut-outs should not look like a 2nd graders!

-had my summative evaluation w/ my supervisor and she gave me “proficient” in all categories of my job w/ 4 “superiors”!! (No “needing improvements”!)…This after praying for some affirmation in my job at community group on Wed. Praise the Lord!

-encouraged students in their writing as they responded to the prompt “What is the biggest problem teens face today?” I was amazed at their insights and honesty as they wrote about bullying (including cyber bulling), stress at school, peer pressure, and drugs/smoking. I helped students w/ disabilities in written expression get set up on the laptops to type their essays, prompted students w/ severe ADHD to take drink breaks then come back and re-focus, encouraged a student who has autism who was having a “meltdown” to go talk to the guidance counselor, and told several kids that I was proud of their “voice” in their writing (“It really sounds like you talking!!”).

-I encouraged a student who was having a bad day that he can make changes to his behavior. He feels like the other kids always tell on him and that I automatically believe them over him. I told him he needs to prove to me that it’s not him, but that when 5 kids that I trust are all telling me that it is him making faces, throwing things at them, etc. that I have no choice but to believe them. I reminded him that he is a good kid and that I really like him, and that other students will like him too, but that he needs to stop the behaviors that are annoying the other students! I told him that that’s hard to hear but it’s just part of growing up and maturing, and that I knew he could make positive changes.

-I talked several students through their mistakes on their math test over linear equations. I really enjoy this individual time w/ students and the opportunity to help them succeed in the general education curriculum. I like that I can advocate on my students’ behalf to the general education teachers that they are legally entitled (due to their IEPs – Individual Education Plans) to make corrections on their tests and that it’s an opportunity for re-teaching and finding where their patterns of errors lie.

SNOW!

2009-01-28T19:18:00.001-06:00

Click here to see more...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=61749&l=65fb2&id=500377983

Hard at work

2009-01-16T17:28:00.001-06:00

This is the little tool bench that Uncle Currie built Eli for his 2nd b-day (which was yesterday). The tools we gave him for Christmas...

www.itoldthepresident.org: traffic improvment suggestions

2009-01-08T16:23:00.003-06:00

So, I just found a place where you can make comments to the incoming congress and president about improvements to the traffic system: www.itoldthepresident.org

Being the opinionated person that I am, I had several things I've been thinking about and thought I'd post them here to see what others' thoughts were...

I have several suggestions to improve transportation:
I. Driver Competency: We need to revamp our drivers licensing programs to look more like those in the UK and Germany. This would have several components:

Testing: If tests are made more comprehensive and difficult, and training is optional though available at the applicant's expense we allow the licensing process to remain inexpensive, while demanding that drivers meet a necessary competency level before entering the streets.
Driving System: The US tends to function under the assumption that "slow is safe." We tend to primarily penalize drivers who are traveling fast, while ignoring the far more dangerous infractions of drivers who are traveling slowly. This includes drivers traveling slowly in the passing lane, weaving into other lanes due to lack of attention, etc. By assuming that slow drivers are safe drivers we encourage people to get in their cars and "tune out" making them exceedingly dangerous on the road. A fast-moving driver is generally paying more attention to his/her driving as they realize that they are engaged in a potentially dangerous activity. A slow-moving driver mistakenly thinks that their speed makes the activity of driving safe and pays less attention. Further a "fast lane/slow lane" approach to interstate driving verses a "passing lane/traveling lane" approach makes the road system far less efficient than under the European system. Finally, highways with higher speeds produce more empty (and thus, more safe) highways: if the average speed limit on a highway is increased by roughly 10% (say 55 to 60 MPH), and the average speed of traffic on that highway increases by 10%, that traffic will move through the highway system more quickly, producing a 10% lower traffic density (and thus, a safer highway).

II. More complete streets (see www.completestreets.org): We need to work to make our surface streets more friendly to bicyclists. This includes building bike lanes (not just designating sidewalks as bike-able: you can't maintain sufficient speed on a sidewalk to make bicycling a viable alternative to driving), but also more careful education of the driving population to the rights of bicyclists on streets, as well as a system of penalties for discourteous driving in relation to bicyclists.

My new favorite video!

2008-12-16T16:13:00.001-06:00

Shanna sent me this yesterday:

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-15T22:47:00.003-06:00

Something worth thinking about:

"The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.
Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All"
(www.adventconspiracy.org)

Another similar perspective that inspired me two years ago is from Imago Dei Community Church's December 2006 Advent Messages (specifically "The Relational Gift": listen here)

Thanksgiving / Christmas Banquet

2008-12-06T14:21:00.000-06:00

Currie and his dad have a tradition of eating the turkey neck during the afternoon while the rest of the turkey is cooking. (EWWW!)

A quite blurry picture of our Turkey-less Thanksgiving dinner (the turkey didn't finish until 8:00!).

Eli sitting on his fire truck.

Eli thinking, "Aunt Abby, MOVE!, I'm trying to see Sesame Street!"

Last night at the Marriott for the Seminary Christmas Banquet.

Carlyle Camping and the ABIGAIL ROSE

2008-11-22T11:52:00.006-06:00

So... it's been a while since I've posted anything--the semester's gotten busy and I've been working on another project... But I figured I might as well show off some great pics of the boat that Jenny Brown took while we were camping with the Browns and the Rolands (who brought a 4-month-old! Mega kudos!) at Carlyle Lake in later October.

Since this shot was taken I have finished all but the epoxy work on installing a front buoyancy chamber that will serve as a mast-step, "dry" storage compartment and (when the mast is down) forward seat. I'll try to take some pics soon.

A Savior on Capitol Hill

2008-11-04T21:26:00.003-06:00

I’m so tired of these mortal men
with their hands on their wallets and their hearts full of sin
scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
and always running for re-election
so come to DC if it be thy will
because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill

you can always trust the devil or a politician
to be the devil or a politician
but beyond that friends you’d best beware
’cause at the Pentagon bar they’re an inseparable pair
and as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
we’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill

[Bridge]
all of our problems gonna disappear
when we can whisper right in that President’s ear
he could walk right across the reflection pool
in his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit

you can render unto Caesar everything that’s his
you can trust in his power to come to your defense
it’s the way of the world, the way of the gun
it’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
so don’t hold your breath or your vote until
you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill

Beautiful Fall

2008-11-04T18:46:00.001-06:00

I added more pics to our facebook album from our walk today. I love the way the sun sparkles through the leaves. This may be my favorite time of year.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46660&l=a7eea&id=500377983

A Kilt for the Rest of Us!

2008-11-01T16:04:00.005-05:00

I just found out about a great company from Jason Bartlett--Sport Kilt.

At last! For all those of us wanting an affordable alternative to expensive custom made kilts there is now an option! (Since I'm sure there are so many of us in that category...)

FREEDOM!!!

2008-11-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

OK, so this was the look we were going for but they had a lot more hair than we do...

This was what I was going for as Princess Isabelle

Amish Jim & Amy (she sewed her apron!)

Indian Jessica & Giraffe Matthew

Captain Hook Jason & Tinkerbell AmyRuth

Mary Poppins Em & Chimney Sweep Ryan

Plumbers Lauren & Kevin (who we went to Colorado w/...)
Her "beer gut" was her pregnant belly

My Cheesenstein was yummy

I Love Fall

2008-10-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to a pumpkin patch about an hr. away and got to pick our own pumpkins! They take you out on a hayride, you pick your pumpkins (and apples if you want...) and then when you come back they also have cider, funnel cakes, etc. Currie had NEVER HAD FUNNEL CAKE!! We obviously had to remedy that...don't worry, we split this.

We got a mini pumpkin for our table & two for our porch.

Currie also got me mums to complete the fall look.

And, while I'm at it, I've been meaning to post pictures of my herb garden (you can also see them in the above picture right above the light)!
Sara B. gave them to me when she moved out. (Thanks Sara!!)

We have rosemary, basil, several kinds of oregano, chives, etc. Last night we chopped up chives in our tomato soup and had fresh basil on grilled cheese, tomato, & onion sandwiches. Yum.

Sailing...

2008-09-30T10:12:00.007-05:00

Here are a couple of photos of the ABIGAIL ROSE (still need to paint the name on her) at Carlyle Lake in IL in late August. We actually did go out on the lake, but you couldn't see much of the boat in those pics.

Waiting to embark from the "semi-private" "beach" by our campsite.

Heading out to go through the breakwater (yes, I know I'm rowing backwards--we had two guys [one of them 6'4"] in an 11 1/2 ft. sailing dingy!).

I just completed the rear buoyancy chamber this past weekend but haven't taken any pics yet; I'll try to upload one soon.

Chicago Anniversary Trip

2008-09-27T15:43:00.006-05:00

Check out the rest of our Chicago Anniversary Album on Facebook!

Are you kidding me?!

2008-08-28T21:45:00.003-05:00

MODOT (Missouri Dept. of Transportation) is generally doing a good job with a lot of the major decisions relating to the construction on 64/40, with a few major exceptions (what genius thought it would be a good idea to put a stop sign any place where you have cars merging into 55 MPH traffic? [from Ballas Rd. to I 270 North for example]).

I just spent an extra 15 minutes in the car (burning fossil fuels the whole time) because the ramp from Kingshighway to 64/40 West is closed (though all the signs say it's open and funnel you right into a row of reflector-less cones). So I got stuck in the middle of the intersection and had to turn onto 64/40 East and drive all the way to the Market street exit where I had to make a U turn to get back on the interstate going the right way--ARRGH!!

And while I'm on the topic of senseless squandering of fossil fuels, let me ask what Einstein came up with the red left-turn signal? Do they really think we're too stupid to wait for a break in traffic before turning? Not only do these signals encourage lazy driving (which kills far more people than reckless driving) by suggesting to us that we're just supposed to be on autopilot when we're behind the wheel, they also waste tons of fossil fuels nationally every year (next time you're out driving count the number of cars you see waiting to make a left at empty intersections because they have a red left-turn signal; now think about how many drivers all over America are waiting at such signals. Even if it's only a few seconds per car per light, that compiles into a whole lot on a national scale).

A Muggy Day in the Gardens

2008-07-26T16:41:00.001-05:00

Cool fountain at the entrance...

Don't ask...Currie forced us.

Peek-a-boo w/ Ana

We're in the Amazon...

This is a skull that you can go inside!

Here's some of the beautiful flowers we saw:

Sisters, sisters...

2008-07-25T11:19:00.000-05:00

Ana was NOT fond of the "rat poop" (otherwise known as boba)

Yeah for $3 tanktops!!

CrossFit...

2008-07-25T11:15:00.003-05:00

So Dan has impressed the value of the CrossFit workout regime on me, and I'm trying out the "Travel Workout" (i.e. no equipment necessary) program at http://crossfitnega.com/travel-workouts/.

Just did half of one this morning--10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 air squats; 5 sets. I have no idea what my time was (an important part of the program) because I was trying not to push too hard (and, thus, avoid the three-day total immobility I experienced after my introductory workout), but I'm guessing about 15 min. (yes, I know that's pathetic...). It felt good though!

More Boat Details...

2008-06-24T18:05:00.005-05:00

Here it is with the exaggerated rake [backward angle] in the mast to keep the sail in the same position as the old step position. Too much rake in my opinion--the weight of the sail is pulling down on the mast awkwardly and making it bend slightly, putting too much stress on it.

So I adjusted it some--this is about the same rake it had before (maybe a little bit more). I still think the center of effort on the sail looks to be about over the place where the lee-board will be, so I think we're in good shape.

Here's a view from the front...

...and one of the transom--I like how the varnished wood looks from 20 feet away! (Up close you can see more errors...)

Finally, I realized as I was coming out the back door with the camera that I'd have few opportunities to get a bird's eye view of my boat!

Downtown flooding

2008-06-22T17:51:00.003-05:00

Today after lunch we went downtown to show some friends the Arch before their flights. Check out the stop sign almost completely under water.

Sign says "The Riverfront" !

This shows a comparison of the current flood to the one in '93. The bottom of the plaque on the side of the stairs shows how high the water was then...

We have had GORGEOUS weather lately!

How to offend people...

2008-06-22T17:49:00.002-05:00

Q: How can you offend Jews, Neo-Nazis, Germans, Swedes, women, the elderly, homosexuals and moral conservatives?
A: The Producers

We went last night to the Muny's production of the Broadway hit. It was a bit slap-stick for my tastes and rather bawdy, but some of the ideas (Hitler in Springtime for example) had the potential to be really funny. Not my favorite of what I've seen, but more plot than Hello Dolly (which struck me as the Broadway equivalent of an action flick: the plot was merely a vehicle for music and dance--things that, like special effects in an action flick, ought to be there to enhance the story, not to carry it by themselves!).