Pumpkin Prayer Activity

My boys couldn't wait until daddy came home to carve pumpkins! I have done this pumpkin prayer for my boys, parties, and church. I hope you enjoy this activity with your kiddos too.

Owen was asking what sin meant and we said bad. The rest of the day he kept telling us that Miles was sinning!!



Dear God,

As I carve my pumpkin, help me say this prayer.

Open my mind so I can learn about You;
(Cut the top of the pumpkin)

Take away all my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do;
(Clean out the inside)

Open my eyes so Your love I will see;
(Cut eyes shaped like hearts)

I'm sorry for turning my nose to all You've given me;
(Cut a nose in the shape of the cross)

Open my ears so Your word I will hear;
(Cut ears shaped like the Bible)

Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near;
(Cut mouth in the shape of a fish)

Let Your light shine in all I say and do! Amen.
(Place a candle and light)

Lila Update

Today we saw our OB doctor in Manhattan. She had a strong heart rate of 155 and she was moving all over the place! We will see our OB specialist in 2 weeks where we will get to peek at her. :) I am going to have a huge scrapbook of all these ultrasounds but I love seeing her growth! So far so good. Thank you all for the prayers. We feel blessed to have each one of you thinking of her!

Cabinets are in!!

We had a really productive weekend with packing and the basement is almost bare. Way to go bubba!

We also took the boys to Meadowlark to visit their grandparents. Everyone is always so excited to see little kiddos, it is cute. We had a great time catching up with them.

On Sunday we saw our house and couldn't believe that some of the cabinets were in and hung already. He said he was putting them in this week so we were ecstatic to see them. Here is a peek. We still have to order the hardware but that can wait a little bit. My faucet should be coming sometime this week. Things are moving right along!

Roasted Pumpkin for dessert, yum!

The boys have been to 2 pumpkin patches and Owen just went again on a field trip and I was trying to find a different recipe to use up these pumpkins. I found this recipe on a blog (if it is you please let me know so I can give credit) and had to try it out on my little family. The boys thought it was okay but Brian and I thought it was a really yummy treat. Enjoy and let me know what you think after you try it!



Roasted pumpkin slices

1 small sugar or pie pumpkin
pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 tablespoons butter, melted
whipped cream (cool whip)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and stem. Cut each half into wedges and use a knife to cut off the pumpkin fibers. Line up slices in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt.

2. In a small bowl, combine sugar, spices, and melted butter. Spoon over pumpkin wedges and roast for 25-30 minutes, removing halfway through baking time and brush the pumpkin slices with the sugar mixture that has melted and collected in the bottom of the dish. Return to the oven and bake until pumpkin is fork tender. Garnish with cool whip.

The house is coming together

Brian went and took pictures of the house the other day. They are working on it everyday and big changes are happening. It is crazy how fast it comes together once they finish painting. Brian is really liking the back porch and we hope to screen that in sometime. Our cabinets will be here Wed. I can't wait to see them! It has been exciting but the true test is about to be here. The samples that we chose are like 2x2 in size so seeing it all together finished makes me nervous. Is the tile too dark, vanity too light. All those questions run through my head. We are really working hard everyday to get this house packed up and organized. We are almost there! :) Oh and I can't wait to decorate the nursery. All new stuff for my baby girl!! Oh I am soo excited for pink in my home! Enjoy the pics.

Wow! 20 weeks already

I am officially half way through my pregnancy! The first 20 weeks seemed to fly by and I am sure the next 16 weeks will be the same. The first pic with the floral top is me at 4 months the second pic is last night at 20 weeks.

We had a consultation with a new Dr. in Omaha Nebraska who has seen other women with the same condition that I have. He was able to calm our nerves and let us know what to expect. Lila is doing fantastic and she was at 68% for growth. We will be seeing Dr. Bonebrake every week from here on out. They will be monitoring Lila's growth, the placenta, and the cord attachment, as well as any bleeding or severe cramping from me. So far so good! I am on some restrictions and am just trying to take it easy. If they see any signs of the above we will be admitted to Nebraska Methodist Hospital. I am hopeful that all will go smooth these next few months.

Brian felt Lila move around last night and was so excited to be able to feel her. He said, "That is so awesome!" Those precious kicks are my security blanket and I am relieved and excited each and every time I feel her! Brian said I could officially buy something pink!! He is nervous about buying stuff ahead of time b/c of our past circumstances. I will go with a small purchase like shoes or a headband. I just can't wait to shop for a little girl!! Brian is already getting anxious about this "girl stuff!"

As far as me I feel excited, nervous, and HUGE!! I have been craving french onion dip with my potato chips and crab legs. But I am really needing Red Lobster's cheese fondue appetizer! That is my favorite as well as crab legs. Oh I wish I could eat those but I keep forgetting to ask the Dr. if I can.

The boys are loving on Lila all the time. Each day they hug and kiss her. Miles is practicing burping, feeding, and holding his baby. He always sees a tiny baby and says, "I want to buy that baby!" I laugh and say we are having a baby we don't have to buy one. He is too cute!

Calling 911 for what?

Owen has been learning a lot about Fire Safety at school. Last Monday he came home and counted the smoke detectors only to tell me we were suppose to have a smoke detector in EVERY bedroom! Really? So on Thursday when the fireman finished reading books at story time it was Q and A time. So I had to ask if this was true! It is!! Do you have a smoke alarm in EVERY bedroom at your house?

Do you remember those sticky silly hands that you throw at the walls? I remember them being eyeballs, hands, and random other objects. Owen just got one at a fall festival in town and plays with it frequently. Today he threw it up on the ceiling in the kitchen and asked me to get it down. I said that I couldn't reach it and it was unsafe for me to stand on a chair. Owen said, "Mommy that is okay I will just call 911 and have the fireman bring his ladder!" So we had to sit down and have the 911 chat before he made some random call!

My list of To Do's

Well with the unknown situation at hand I thought I better start preparing a list of to do's before I head to Wichita on the 16th of Nov. I hope this motivates me to keep crossing them off as I get them accomplished. Wish me luck!

1. Pay bills and leave password, addresses, and dates for husband to do the rest.
2. Create a calendar of upcoming events for whomever is taking care of my family.
3. Prepare meals and freeze them for hubby!
4. Prepare an overnight bag of essentials in case I need for emergency.
5. Pack up my house for the move on Nov. 5th.
6. Make a contact sheet of important numbers.

Am I missing something?

Please Pray!

Today we are 18 weeks and 3 days and we saw an OB specialist in Wichita. The ultrasound was surprising as we are actually having a GIRL!!!!!!! Her name is going to be Lila Eloise Carpenter.

On another note we are asking for all of our family and friends to pray for our daughter. We learned today that in my uterus is scar tissue from one end to the other. Our daughter's placenta is wrapped around that scar tissue. We have been told that the placenta could rupture at anytime. If this happens we will lose her. We will see the OB specialist when I am 24 weeks if everthing is still okay. At that time I will be injected with a steriod that will help the lungs mature rapidly. At that appointment we will determine where to go from there. Please pray for a miracle.

I am going to stay positive and think of the positives.

1. We have 2 amazing little boys that bring us joy DAILY!
2. Our daughter is healthy and is measuring correctly.
3. We have made it 18 weeks with no complications and 6 weeks are going to fly by!
4. Our faith will get us through whatever is going to happen.
5. We have an amazing support network with loving friends and family!

I am asking all of you to please keep our daughter in your daily prayers!