Our Anniversary Gift

An unbelievably beautiful farm we passed on Hwy.287 coming home.

Country roads, take me home.

Great barbeque out there! This restaurant was in Crockett. I enjoyed watching life flow in and out of this little place, locals greeting each other with simple news. I wanted to be apart!

Galveston coast.
It was cold, but beautiful. I prefer cold weather....better to snuggle in, my dear.

We stayed in the Hotel Galvez, a renovated turn-of-the-century hotel complete with all of it's old charm. Tiny rooms, though!

Leaving Houston. It is a big city! Though, it is quite the metropolis, I will always love Dallas/Fort Worth! Maybe it's because I know people everywhere we go. I like that I've been here a lifetime.

We celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary three weeks ago! Since Curtis has had to travel to Houston every week, for a year now, we decided for me to go down with him, stay there in Houston, then drive down Friday to Galveston and stay on the ocean, finally meandering home on the east Texas back roads all day Saturday. It was so much fun!

What made it even more fun, though, was the unexpected gift I had to give him that day. Inside his card, I wrote this poem:

Though 17 is a lovely number,

quite a lovely one to do

Things like staying married, and so happy,

still so much in love with you;

It's not the number I would choose on

which to focus now,

Instead 10 is the one to which

we both should "Wow!"

Not ten years, or ten flowers, or

ten diamonds in a row,

But ten of His creation He's chosen

you and me to grow.

He might look like you, she might talk like me.

I'm not sure if there is one, two, or

Heavens, maybe three!

The certainty I do have beyond the

knowledge of these things

Is the blessing it is to do this with you,

and the joy our life together brings!

Congratulations!

And yes, we are now expecting our tenth baby. He asked me after reading the card, and grinning from ear to ear (with a tear in his eye) if I thought we should tell the children immediately. I really felt like to wait was to plan for disaster. If we expected nothing to go wrong, and this pregnancy to come to the full fruition of a precious baby in our arms, we'd not hesitate! He laughed and said, "Well, let's tell 'em walkin' in the door!"

Over the last three weeks, symptoms have been on the rise, to the point that I've felt full fledged nausea several times. I have very easy, virtually nausea-free pregnancies; but I've been so thankful for any signs verifying a healthy start to this one! I didn't realize the symptoms missing last time. (You'd think I'd have this down to a science by now!) But, with all of the activity of the older ones, the busy football schedule, the garden, the chickens, and so on...I was trucking along unaware of the lack of normal signs that always accompany growing a baby.

The children are beside themselves. Curtis Wade had only one apprehension, and that was that the baby will be due about three weeks before the end of football season. I told him I might labor at the game, but we'd work it out! Plus, I would love to continue my walking at the park during early morning practices.

Though the calendar due date for now is October 30, I never put anything in stone until the sonogram, which has historically yielded the most accurate due dates. The last two babies were born 9/5/05, then 4/8/08, and this one will be due in an available month (we don't have any born in October), giving us a possible 10/??/10 birthday. I love numbers, and to have baby number ten due in the tenth month of the tenth year of this new millennium is exciting to me! Think I'll find out what the number 10 represents in the Bible! Great study!

There really is so much more going on around here, but to simply get this news in writing has already taken this long!!! I've got amazing pictures of the snow this year, thoughts about Curtis' job at Rack Express after visiting Houston, plans as to where in the world we're going to put this baby with his/her nine siblings in a 2400sf house, news about another round of baby chicks delivered two weeks ago, and we've planted this year's garden (now twice the size). I'm trying to take the newfound time the kids are now outside to collect my thoughts and write! Although, I've got to get out the laptop so that I can join them out there on the front porch rockers to continue this. The weather is absolutely gorgeous!

Until later......please say a prayer for this new little one. I've picked up my crocheting again. I love thinking about the Scripture:
Psa 139:13 "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb," as I work on a new blanket. Somehow, we're working right alongside each other during this delicate time, God and me. He's doing what only He can do so very well, and I'm meditating on life, love, this new baby, and Him! Thank you, Lord!