A Tine Update: Spring

Hello all!

Spring is here and I'm so glad it is. It's nice to be able to enjoy the warm weather. We started spring with lots of yard work and well, it hasn't stopped yet and won't stop till winter. Most folks I know can't stand yard work, but I LOVE it! It's my first time with my own yard and I can hardly work in it. My belly has gotten too big and I've been rendered a little useless. Luckily, this is where my husband comes handy. ;) We've updated fans and light fixtures in our house, as well as door knobs, light switch plates and socket plates. If you ever want to give your house an updated look on a small budget that's definitely a place to start. It has changed the look of our house significantly! I painted our front door a bright yellowish orange color for FREE, thanks to Ace Hardware's coupon weekends. Surprisingly, it looks great! I thought we were taking a chance with the color but it brightens up our house and gives it a younger more modern feel. I don't think these photos are the best representations but take a peek.

Asher's little space in our extra dining room is coming along. I'm so proud of it. I put his crib together last Monday which my father-in-law helped us buy. This weekend I'm hopefully going to finish sewing his roman shades. My mother-in-law has stocked us with clothes and stuffed animals, so we don't need anymore. Bill's Aunt took us shopping yesterday and we bought all kinds of small things we really needed. That trip helped put my mind at ease. My mom bought a pair a moccasins from my cousin Kiesha this weekend too. They are cute! We are ALMOST ready!

AND yes it is true, I'm big. I have a baby inside of my belly. I LOOK larger than you're used to seeing me. That being said, it's completely normal. I'm 31 weeks now. :)

I celebrated my 25th birthday this month! Bill took me shopping for maternity clothes and I received some dineros from my in-laws, which I will use for Asher. A day before my birthday, my Supervisor and her manager, the "super-super," threw a baby shower for a co-worker and me. It was so nice to take a break from work, at work, and just eat off and on all day! Our manager's daughter made the best cake ever! It would have made your teeth hurt it was so sweet! My co-worker's wife is expecting their third child about nine weeks after Asher is expected to arrive. I think he is more worried and nervous than I am and this is my first child! So, a lot of our days are filled with baby talk, which I vowed I would never put my co-workers through, since I can't stand when women talk non-stop about their pregnancies. However, I can honestly say that he is the one that usually brings up the subject. He's a talker. ;)

Last night was a first for Bill and me. We "camped" out in our living room!... Kinda. We made a tent out of sheets and played "Draw Something." It was quite fun trying something new with Bill. We both felt like big kids, but it was nice for a change. : ) It's been getting harder to move around with my belly in the way these days, so Bill couldn't help but poke fun at me trying to wiggle into that small space! I bet it was a sight. :D After a few rounds, I could barely stay awake and we slept in our tent. I got the idea from Pinterest's post "50 Fun and Cheap Date Ideas."

Today, we submitted our interest in joining Henderson Hills Baptist Church. We have about a month and a half before Asher "arrives" so that gives us a little time to find a small group to join. Who knows how long it'll take us to get out of the house once he gets here. : ) I'm so ready to join the church. I need to build some friendships in the body of Christ. I get stuck in the mind-set that I can do things on my own and then when I fail it takes me a little while to get back up. I admit, I've been in a bit of a dry spell recently. I need to surround myself with folks who want to be Christ-like. : )

Well, that's most of what's been happening at the Masopust residence. We hope everyone else is doing well. Until next time! Bye!

Christine

My Wife and the Eggplant at 25 Weeks

At the time of this picture, Christine was 25 weeks along in the pregnancy. Little Asher is roughly the size of an eggplant, which is represented by the eggplant Christine is holding in the picture. As you can see, an eggplant would fit in that belly.

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." -Philemon 25
-William Masopust
www.masopust.us
www.revisedcommonversion.com

Our First Landscaping Project is Complete

Today, Christine and I worked on a little landscaping project on our front porch. It wasn't a very big project, but it certainly put my back to the test. I had to get four 5-gallon buckets full of Aztec Pea gravel, load them into the trunk of my car, and then unload them and walk them to the porch. They were a bit heavy. Then, I had to dig out six 12"x12"x2" decorative concrete blocks from the porch and move them to the back yard. I had to get a little help on that. Christine cleared out the flower bed area under the windows of pine bark chips and miscellaneous leaves. Once everything had been cleared out, we poured in the gravel. I must say that I am impressed with our porch. It looks way better and much cleaner than it did before. I can't wait to get started on the front of the house, and the front yard, and the back yard...

Our total investment on this project was about $17.50 for the gravel.

The below picture shows you what the porch looked like before we began this project.

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." -Philemon 25
-William Masopust
www.masopust.us
www.revisedcommonversion.com

Unto Us a Son Shall Be Born

Today, we had our big ultrasound and it was determined that we will be having a son. This settles many on-going bets within the family. The moms wanted a girl, and the dads wanted a boy. I personally was hoping for a son, but of course, I would have been just as happy with a girl. After all, there are no returns. Hahaha.

The ultrasound itself was very interesting. The baby was very human in its features and it was quite active. If there was a theme to this ultrasound session, I'd say it would have to be, "He moved again!" This little guy was facing one way, and moments later, he was facing the opposite way. I hope this activity in the womb isn't an indication of energy output when he's finally born, or even able to crawl or walk.

So, you might be wondering what the little guy's name is. Well, Christine and I have decided to name him, Asher David Masopust. That will be the name of our son.

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." -Philemon 25
-William Masopust
www.masopust.us
www.revisedcommonversion.com

Oh, Baby!

Our baby is getting bigger! I'm 17 weeks pregnant and starting to show. My clothes, of course, are becoming too small and all I can think about is, "Wow! I'm pregnant!" There is a first for everything I suppose, but this is just weird. :) Our baby plans are constantly being brought up and revised. We are usually decent planners, but when it comes to childcare, we are a bit lacking. We like having our good paying day jobs, but the thought of paying $800 of childcare a month on top of our mortgage is not a pretty picture! The childcare aspect of having a baby is still being investigated.

On the other hand, we are planning on having our baby at home. I started seeing a team of midwives in Norman and so far I'm really pleased with our decision. Next week, we get to find out the gender of Baby. We are hoping for a boy and all of our mothers are hoping for a girl. No surprise there! We shall see.

Bill and I have also been exploring the green side of having a baby. We have started by slowly stocking up on cloth diapers. These cloth diapers are MODERN. Take a peek. Once we buy the 25ish diapers we need, that's it! No more running out of diapers. Just throw them in the wash and we're ready for the next round. No filling up landfills, more money in our pockets and no harsh chemicals/plastics around our baby's bum. When we have another baby we'll be ready to go. On that subject, has anyone actually looked at the ingredients of baby wipes??? If you can't say half the ingredients, it's probably something you should stray from. Try this instead. It's amazing that we, as consumers, just accept whatever is on the shelf without even questioning it's content and safety.


We found a store in OKC, Green Bambino, that we just love! This store has all kinds of green products: organic cloth diapers, untreated wooden toys, toys made from corn, all-natural cleaning solutions for wipes. I can't begin to describe what this store has. Bill couldn't help but drool over the cool toys that they had. He was like a kid in a candy shop! Lol! We wish we could buy everything in this store, so we set up a registry just in case folks wanted to help out. The owner and employees are very knowledgeable and we have learned something new every time we've been there. Our plans definitely include a monthly pilgrimage to the Green Bambino.

Baby should be really excited to know that we are planning on giving him or her real baby food and milk prepared in our own kitchen and by mama! Not only does real fruit and veggies taste better than baby food, but it's healthier for baby too, AND it's cheaper! Who knew?! :D

Bill and I are really excited about our little one. We have our names picked out, and are waiting for the unveiling of the gender next Friday the 24th of February. It's going to be a long week! :) I haven't been able to feel Baby yet, but within the next month I should be able to. In two weeks, we will be half way done with pregnancy! Half way! There's so much to look forward to and learn, but for now, we are savoring our quiet and restful evenings.

Christine

An unEXPECTING Surprise

The picture says it all. Read it carefully. Now, imagine my surprise when I opened a birthday card and read those words. In fact, the first time I read the card, I misread what it said and didn't get the message. After a couple of readings, I finally caught on to the key word: DAD.

That's right. Christine and I are expecting our first child. My lack of catching that detail initially was due to the fact that I have never really associated myself with the word, dad. There's really no way to explain what was going on in my brain when the message finally sunk in. It's still a bit surreal, even to this day.

Currently, Christine is about 10 weeks into the pregnancy. We have an appointment set in January to hear the heart beat, which undoubtedly will be utterly remarkable. At this point, we do not know the gender. We will post again when we find that out.

Life, as I know it, is now forever changed. Oh, what exciting times lie ahead!

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." -Philemon 25
-William Masopust
www.revisedcommonversion.com

Cast All Your Care Upon Him

"Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you." -1st Peter 5:7

Here is another entry from the Morning and Evening devotional by Charles Spurgeon.

It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel-"HE careth for me." Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord. You are staggering beneath a weight which your Father would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden, would be to him but as the small dust of the balance. Nothing is so sweet as to

"Lie passive in God's hands,
And know no will but his."

O child of suffering, be thou patient; God has not passed thee over in his providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows, will also furnish you with what you need. Sit not down in despair; hope on, hope ever. Take up the arms of faith against a sea of trouble, and your opposition shall yet end your distresses. There is One who careth for you. His eye is fixed on you, his heart beats with pity for your woe, and his hand omnipotent shall yet bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. The blackest gloom shall give place to the morning. He, if thou art one of his family, will bind up thy wounds, and heal thy broken heart. Doubt not his grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that he loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, he has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.

Read this verse in context by reading chapter 5 of 1st Peter.

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." -Philemon 25
-William Masopust
www.masopust.us - www.revisedcommonversion.com