Welcome Charles Ray Anderson Bahr! :)

 Charles Ray Anderson Bahr was welcomed into this world at home by his mother and father and siblings in a family water birth with no assistance.  It was quite a remarkable experience, possibly the most perfect birth ever!  :)

A Family Update - What's Been Going on the Last Two Months

*Updated with photos (5/17/2012 10:34pm).*

It has been too long since my last post, and I am sorry for that.  I've meant to write, really.  There were many nights when I lay awake in bed wishing for sleep that wouldn't come, that I wrote some really great blog posts in my head, that never made it to the computer.  :(  So, I figure a brief (or not) update is in order.

Topics for this post include: Easter in Enoch, Luke's opera, Jacob & Rebecca's wedding, Denzel's funeral, Ohio Light Opera, Mom Anderson's colon cancer diagnosis, homeschool, and pregnancy.

Easter Breakfast Rolls

I want to share a recipe from the book A Christ-Centered Easter: Day-By-Day Activities to Celebrate Easter Week by Janet and Joe Hales.  I haven't actually made this recipe yet, but it sounds like a lot of fun to make so we'll be trying it this year!  :O)

A Christ-Centered Easter

Can you believe Easter is just around the corner?  Spring seems to have sneaked up on me.  (Private rant here:  I hate the word "to sneak!"  I swear it *should* be 'Spring seems to have *snuck* up on me.'  But, alas, it's not; and it bugs me to no end!!!)  :O)  As the Easter decorations line the shelves of the stores my thoughts have been turned to the beauty of spring and the sacred holiday that comes with the opening of the new season - Easter.  Spring brings new life and renewal.  While baby bunnies and chicks are darling, they are NOT what Easter is about - at all.  Easter is as sacred as Christmas, or it should be anyway.  During Christmastime we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and at Easter we celebrate his triumph over death - His Resurrection!  What a glorious day!

It's Been a Long Month... Lots to Share :O)

Three major topics for this post:

1.  I feel great!  :O)

2. We're expecting (at least - haha) number five!  :O)

3.  My oldest "baby" just grew up!  He was baptized.  :O) 

Depression

WARNING:  This is an extremely sensitive and personal topic to me, but I feel compelled to share it anyway.  Please be judicious with your comments.

I struggle with depression.  Some days are better than others; some weeks are better than others; some months are better than others; some years are better than others.  I think you get the point.  Most of the time my depression doesn't bother me too much.  It certainly almost never affects my daytime life.  (Who can let it with four little ones to take care of?)  For whatever reason quite recently it has become very difficult to bear, particularly in the evening/nighttime hours.  I find myself wasting hours on end on the computer just so I don't have to face the dark and cold loneliness.  (Lest any of you jump to the wrong conclusions: my relationship with my husband is wonderful.  This is just my perspective of my spirit/soul.)

A New "Keeper" - Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing (NT)

Last week to honor Luke's 33rd birthday I made him a carrot cake at his request and we LOVED it!  So I thought I would share it.  :o)  The recipe I used is from the book "Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats" by Sally Fallon.  This cake was not a light fluffy one, but a rich, dense, moist, super delicious cake!  This cake serves 16-20, unless you invite me over, and I will do a good job polishing any leftovers off the next day, almost completely on my own!!!  Beware!  :O)

It's Accountability Time

So, my major goal to begin this year with was to GO TO BED ON TIME... uh, well, um, I've not done so well this week.  Wanna hear my lame excuses?  Yeah, I didn't think so.  Stinkin' awesome library materials anyway!  :o)  Since we had dinner guests this evening, I don't have as much time as I was planning, to tell you about some of my awesome experiences this week (because I'm going to go to bed ON TIME tonight!)  :o)  So, it'll be the abbreviated version (if that's even possible from me! Haha!)