Quotes ... and a little update

I've been reading Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp recently and have really enjoyed it and found it to be a helpful reminder as to what kind of relationships God desires me to have.

Here's a great quote by C.S. Lewis from the book ...
When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.

Lane and Tripp on that quote ...
In his life, death and resurrection, Jesus brought reconciliation in two fundamental ways. Jesus reconciled us to God, which then becomes the foundation for the way he reconciles us to one another. As Lewis said, Christ restores first things so that second things are not suppressed but increased! When God reigns in our hearts, peace reigns in our relationships.

As for baby news ... my sickness seems to be rapidly decreasing which we are very grateful for. Evenings are when I still feel it the most, but I'm thankful that during the day I am feeling more like myself. My energy level also seems to be a bit better which has been encouraging. I had a baby appt. today and all is well with the little one. Heartrate was 150. At this point baby Herr measures about 3 1/2 inches and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces ... which makes he/she about the size of a lemon! Oh, and in case anyone cares ... the baby can now go tinkles too.

The kiddos are all doing well ... loving the outdoors these days, even though it got a little cooler this week. Last week I took Hailey to her first ballet with a group of homeschoolers. We took the train to Philly and then headed to the Merriam Theatre where we saw Coppelia. For anyone familiar with this ballet, Hailey's favorite was Act III - The Festival of the Bells.

Justin has been phasing out of napping, which has actually served me well as he and Hailey entertain each other for hours in the basement or outside. He still has book time on his bed for about an hour most days, but rarely actually sleeps. Every once in awhile he'll say to me, "Mommy, I don't want to look at books; I want to rest" ... and then he's out cold for 2-3 hours.

Sydney keeps me on my toes as she has a new obsession with washing her hands and will often be in the bathroom washing her hands ... and her arms, face, the mirror, the sink, etc. ... we've gone through way more soap than normal recently! She does seem to have some interest in the potty these days and now tells us not only when she is stinky, but often when she is wet. I'm in no hurry (just hoping it happens before October!), but I think we'll give it a try in the near future (maybe after a week of vacation and Brian traveling for a week later this month).

And in our spare time, Brian and I have been outside doing yard work and getting our garden ready. And Brian also enjoys getting his evening updates on the computer to see what the Phillies, Flyers and 76ers are up to. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I enjoy french fries ... from Burger King. The last time (prior to this pregnancy) that I had french fries from BK was probably when I was pregnant with Sydney. Funny how the thought of fast food makes me sick when I'm not pregnant and yet somehow is very enjoyable when I am pregnant ... go figure.

I think that pretty much wraps up this update! I'll try to start taking some pics so that there are some pics to go along with my updates!