The Reardon Adventures

::A Day Back In October::

2011-07-11T23:25:00.005-05:00

These photo's are long overdue, but back in October a bunch of friends spent a night with our hubby's doing something we all enjoy... listening to Switchfoot. Jarrett and I were new to St. Louis at this time so since the concert was at Lindenwood University, our friends decided we eat dinner at Trailhead downtown St. Charles before the concert. Well, the wait was 2 hours so we walked next door to Millstream. The menu looked great and the outdoor seating next to the fire looked even better. As we were walking down to be seated were laughed when we saw who we were dining with that night... none other that Jon, Tim, & Chad... of Switchfoot!

They were kind and chatted and let us take some photo's. Now, most of you know that Amber is their #1 fan of all time yet her face in the photo's makes me cry laughing every time I look.... she's trying to pretend she's not at all amused!!! hehehe!! Love you Ambie!

What a fun night. The food, friends & music were all amazing.

Love,

Erin

::Crazy Love::

2011-05-25T14:41:00.004-05:00

Hi Friends!

I know it's been a while and I promise that a post about my Ecuador trip will soon follow, but this blog has been waiting patiently. I actually finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan while in Ecuador and I wanted to jot down some of my favorite parts just in case some of you were wondering if you should pick up the book or not... PICK IT UP!!!

After Radical, I read Ten Ways To Destroy The Imagination Of Your Child by Anthony Esolen and that is another blog of its own, but lets just say I appreciated Francis Chan much more after that one! Anyway, here are some of the things that really spoke to my heart:

The core problem isn't the fact that we're lukewarm, halfhearted, or stagnant Christians. The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to "fit" Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God NEVER has an identity crisis. He knows what He's great and deserves to be the center of our lives. Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. He commands EVERYTHING from His followers.
God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like.
We forget that we already have everything we need in Him.
To the Jews, saying something three times demonstrated its perfection, so to call God "Holy, Holy Holy" is to say that He is perfectly set apart, with nothing and no one to compare Him to. That is what is means to be "holy."
It takes a lot for us to comprehend God's total hatred for sin. We make excuses like, "Yes, I am prideful at times, but everyone struggles with pride." However, God says in Proverbs 8:13, "I hate pride and arrogance." You and I are not allowed to tell Him how much He can hate it. He can hate and punish it as severely as His justice demands.
When I am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family. my job- I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities.
Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.
Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.
Both worry and stress reek of arrogance.
The point of your life is to point to Him.
In about fifty years (give or take a couple decades), no one will remember you. Everyone you know will be dead. Certainly no One will care what job you had, what car you drove, what school you attended, or what clothes you wore.
Sadly, many people die while living selfishly. Their funerals are filled by individuals who stretch the truth in order to create a semblance of a meaningful life. Nobody would dare say an unkind word at the funeral; there is an unspoken obligation to come up with something nice to say about the person who died. But sometimes we secretly think the same thing: He really wan't that great of a person.
Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him - frequently and zealously. Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." He called this the "first and greatest commandment" (Matt. 22:37-38). The results are intimate prayer and study of His Word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.
If God's mercy didn't exist there would be no hope.
The greatest good on this earth is God. Period. God's one goal for us is Himself.
(Talking about the parable of the good/ bad soil) Do not assume you are good soil.
Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live? Do you see evidence of God's kingdom in your life? Or are you choking it out slowly by spending too much time, energy, money, and thought on the things of this world?
LUKEWARM PEOPLE think about life on earth much more often that eternity in heaven.
LUKE WARM PEOPLE ask, "How far can I go before it's considered a sin?" instead of, "How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?"
To put it plainly, churchgoers who are "lukewarm" are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven.
Jesus says in Revelation 3:15-18, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."
Let's face it. We're willing to make changes in our lives only if we think it affects our salvation. This is why I have so many people ask me questions like, Can I divorce my wife and still go to heaven? Do I have to be baptized to be saved? Am I a Christian even though I am having sex with my partner? If I commit suicide, can I still go to heaven? If I'm ashamed to talk about Christ is He really gong to deny knowing me?
These questions are tragic because they reveal much about the state of our hearts. They demonstrate that out concern in more about going to heaven than loving the King. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15). And our question quickly becomes even more unthinkable: Can I go to heaven without truly and faithfully loving Jesus?
James 2:19 says, "You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." God doesn't just want us to have a good theology; He wants us to know and love Him. First John 2:3-4 says, "We know that we have come to know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Call me crazy, but I think those verses mean that the person who claims to know God but doesn't obey His commands is a liar and that the truth really isn't in him.
Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view (His is the only one who matters), they're evil. Let's stop calling it a "busy schedule" or "bills" or forgetfulness." It's called evil.
As Tim Kizziar said, "Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.
God's definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measure out lives by how we love.
If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming or actively following Him we automatically begin to be swept downstream
We are on a never-ending downward escalator, putting up with perturbed looks from everyone else who is gradually moving downward.
Nothing should concern us more than out relationship with God; it's about eternity and nothing compares with that. God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives.
We disgust God when we weigh and compare Him against the things of this world. It makes Him sick when we actually decide those things are better for us than God Himself.
Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter unless it it about loving God and loving the people He has made?
Is loving God - and by extension loving people - what you are about?
Something mysterious even supernatural must happen in order for genuine love for God to grow in our hearts. The Holy Spirit must move in our lives.
As we begin to focus more on Christ, loving Him and others becomes more natural. As long as we are pursuing Him we are satisfied in Him. It is when we stop actively loving Him that we find ourselves restless and gravitating towards other means of fulfillment.
But He has overcome the world. So take heart, keep on, fight the good fight, pray continuously, and do not grow weary. There is nothing better than giving up everything and stepping into a passionate love relationship with God, the God of the universe who made galaxies, leaves, laughter, and me and you.
The promise that our troubles are "achieving for us an eternal glory" seems hard to believe in the midst of the mess.
David Livingston, a missionary to Africa during the 1800's once said during a speech to students at Cambridge University, "People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa... I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of 'sacrifice' when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."
There really is a God who forgives everything and loves endlessly.
Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.
1 John 3:16-20 - Jesus is saying that we show tangible love for God in how we care for the poor and those who are suffering. He expects us to treat the poor and desperate as if they were Christ Himself.
Giving that is not motivated by love is worth nothing.
The concepts of downsizing so that others might upgrade is biblical, beautiful...and nearly unheard of.
God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.

Love and Blessings,

Erin

Ecuador

2011-02-21T14:43:00.002-06:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I want to share with you an opportunity that I have to go to Ecuador March 25 - April 1. Since the beginning of the year I have been praying that the Lord would open up the doors for me to serve on some sort of oversees mission project and last week the opportunity presented itself.

I will be going with our church and team of 30 to support an organization called Compassion Connection in their efforts to support indigenous church planters by fostering community relationships so that they can accomplish their goals for the gospel. The focus of our international efforts is all about those serving in Ecuador full time and not on our team going. We are only a shot in the arm for the work of Christ that is already happening there. Most of our time will be spent an Amazon village called Tena - a river town where we will be involved with Bible and leadership training and church planting. Tena is about five hours east from Quito, in the Amazon Rain Forest area.

I am so excited for this opportunity that the Lord has placed before me. The timing of it is perfect since the trip is planned during Jarrett’s Spring Break! He is excited and looking forward to having the kids to himself for the week!

I have to raise $1,000.00 of support by March 14, which is only 3 weeks away. If you feel led to give I would greatly appreciate it. I have $100 towards the trip so I still have a big chunk left! Not only do I need financial support, but people to commit to prayer for our team and trip.

If you feel led to give in any way you can send a check to:

Erin Reardon

7286 Hazelcrest Drive.

Hazelwood, MO 63042

I love and truly appreciate each one of you.

Love and Blessings,

Erin

And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

Exodus 34:10

RADICAL:: Part 2

2011-01-18T12:37:00.004-06:00

Last week I wrote about some of my favorite parts from Radical by David Platt. The following are the rest of my fav's:

I realize there is never going to come a day when I stand before God and he looks at me and says, 'I wish you would have kept more for yourself.' I'm confident that God will take care of me.
A quote about John Wesley - [Wesley] had just finished buying some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was a Winter day and he noticed that she had only a thin linen gown to wear for protection against the cold. He reached into his pocket to give her some money for a coat and found he had little left. It struck him that the Lord was not pleased with how he had spent his money. He asked himself: "Will Thy Master say, 'Well done, good and faithful steward?' Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money that might have screened this poor creature from the cold! O justice! O mercy! Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid?"
Why not begin operation under the idea that God has given us excess, not so we could have more, but so we could give more?
In 1Timothy 6, Paul tells Timothy to command the rich "to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." This, Paul says, is the key to being free from the deadly nature of wealth and possessions. Give. Give generously, abundantly, and sacrificially. Give not because your stuff is bad. Give because Christ is in you. Give because your heart has been captured by a Savior who has produced in you "overflowing joy," Welling up in "rich generosity."
"What do you want me to do God?" The answer is clear. The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples, particularly those who have never even heard Jesus.
[In regards to the SS United States] We seem to have turned the church as troop carrier into the church as luxury liner. We seem to have organized ourselves, not to engage in battle for the souls of people around the world, but to indulge in ourselves in the peaceful comforts of the world.
Jesus reminded his disciples that their safety was not found in the comforts of this world but in the control of a sovereign God over this world.
From the story of Job to Paul's description of Satan's attack in his life in 2 Corinthians 12, we see how Satan not only acts within the sovereign permission of God but also end up accomplishing the sovereign purposes of God. INdeed, this is what the Cross is all about. Satan's strategy to defeat the Son of God only served to provide salvation for sinners.
The key is realizing-and believing- that this world is not our home.
This, we remember, is the great reward of the gospel: God himself. When we risk out lives to run after Christ, we discover the safety that is found only in his sovereignty, the security that is found only in his love, and the satisfaction that is found only in his presence.
Real success is found in radical sacrifice. Ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God. The purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture in which we live. Meaning is found in community, not individualism,; joy is found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism. Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience, and enjoy.
We express enthusiasm, emotion, and affection for football and other sports, and it begs the question, what would happen in our culture if the church prayed with such passion? What would happen in Jesus dominated out affections more than the superficial trivialities that garner our affection?
In our quest for the extraordinary, we often overlook the importance of the ordinary, and I'm proposing that a radical lifestyle actually begins with an extraordinary commitment to ordinary practices that have marked Christians who have affected the world throughout history.
God has created us for community with one another, and the community we were created for is called the church.
If we are going to live in radical obedience to Christ, we will need the church to do it. We will need to show one another how to give liberally, go urgently, and live dangerously. When we sacrifice our resources for the poor and then face unexpected and unforeseen needs in our lives, we will need brothers and sisters to help us stand. In the process we will learn to depend on one another according to God's design. The global purpose of Christ was never intended to be accomplished by individuals. We are a global people whose family spans the nations. So first and foremost, I encourage you to be done with church hopping and shopping in a me-centered cultural milieu and to commit your life to a people who need you and whom you need.
You and I have an average of about seventy or eighty years on this earth. During these years we are bombarded with the temporary. Make money. Get stuff. Be comfortable. Live well. Have fun. In the middle of it all, we get blinded to the eternal. But it's there. You and I stand on the porch of eternity. Both of us will soon stand before God to give an account for our stewardship of the time, the resources, the gifts, and ultimately the gospel he has entrusted to us. When that day comes, I am convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American dream. We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of the world. Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when ever nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship.

Love,

Erin

RADICAL

2011-01-12T13:18:00.003-06:00

I just finished my first book of the year:: RADICAL by David Platt. It was an amazing book to open the year with. It definitely was what my heart needed to hear causing me to think and re-focus my heart, desires and intentions. I'm one who reads books, underlines all the things I really liked and found helpful only to never go back and put them all on paper. So, here is me putting "on paper" all the "quotes" from RADICAL that I found really good. And maybe you're wondering if you should pick up the book. If so, here are some of my favorite things:

My biggest fear, even now, is that I will Here Jesus' words and walk away content to settle for less than radical obedience to him.
Yes, you are abandoning everything you have, but you are also gaining more than you could have in any other way. So with JOY - with JOY! - you sell it all, you abandon it all. Why? Because you have found something worth losing everything else for.
The revelation of God in the gospel is good. I invite you to receive it. Maybe to trust in the Christ of the gospel for the first time and for the first time to receive a new heart, a heart that is not only cleansed of sin but that now longs for him. Or maybe simply to recover a passion for God's Word - his radical revelation of himself - and discover once again the reward that is found in simply knowing and experiencing him.
We have seen how the American dream radically differs from the call of Jesus and the essence of the gospel.
While the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God.
He intentionally puts people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him. In the process he powerfully demonstrated his ability to provide everything his people need in ways they could have never mustered up or imagined. And in the end, he makes much of his own name.
Think about it his way. Maybe you are going through a struggle in your life. A tragedy strikes you or someone close to you, and you are hurting. So you go to God in prayer, and you ask him to comfort you. Do you realize what God does? He doesn't give you comfort. Instead he gives you the Holy Spirit, who is called the Comforter. The Holy Spirit literally comes to dwell in you and puts the very comfort of Christ inside you as you walk through your pain. Suppose another time you are making a big decision in your life and you need help. So you ask God for help. But he doesn't answer you with guidance. Instead he answers by sending the Holy Spirit who is our Guide. God sends the Helper, who will live in you and not only tell you what decision to make but also to enable you to make that decision. Yet another time you need discernment, and God gives you the Spirit of wisdom. At other times you need strength and God gives you the Spirit of power. Still other times you ask God for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control and he gives you the Spirit who makes all these things a reality in your life.
God our Father delights in this. HE delights in giving us Himself.
Would you say right now that your life is marked right now for the desperation for the Spirit of God?
The message of Biblical Christianity is "God loves me so that I might make him - his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness-know among all nations." In this God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him, We are not the end of the gospel; God is.
Where in the Bible is missions ever identified as an optional program in the church? We were all created by God, saved from our sins, and blessed by God to make his glory known in all the world. Indeed, Jesus himself has not merely called us to go to all nations; he has created us and commanded us to go to all nations. We have taken the command though and reduced it to a calling - something that only a few people receive.
Now, we know that each of us has different gifts, different skills, different passions, and different callings from God., God has gifted you and me in different ways. This was undoubtedly the case with the disciples. Peter and Paul had different callings. James and John had different callings. However, each follower of Christ in the New Testament, regardless of his or her calling, was intended to take up the mantle of proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth. That's the reason why he gave each of them his Spirit and why he gave them all the same plan: make disciples of all nations.
Jesus reminds me that disciples are not mass-produced. Disciples of Jesus- genuine, committed, self-sacrificing followers of Christ - are not made overnight.
Disciple making is not a call for others to come to us to hear the gospel but a command for us to go to others to share the gospel. A command for us to be gospel-living, gospel-speaking people at every moment and in every context where we find ourselves.
Disciple making is not about a program or an event but about a relationship.
Being a part of a community of faith involved being exposed to the life of Christ in others. To whom can you deliberately, intentionally, and sacrificially, show the life of Christ in this way? This is foundational in making disciples, and we will multiply the gospel only when we allow others to get close enough to us to see the life of Christ in action.
When we realize we have the responsibility to teach the Word, it changes everything about how we hear the Word.
According to Jesus, you can tell someone is a follower of Christ by the fruit of his or her life, and the writers of the New Testament show us that the fruit of faith in Christ involves material concern for the poor. Caring for the poor is one natural overflow and a necessary evidence of the presence of Christ in our hearts. If there is no sign of caring for the poor in our lives, then there is reason to at least question whether Christ is in our hearts.

I will finish today with a story (from the book) that really spoke to me.

Isn't the hidden assumption among many Christians in our culture that if we follow God, things will go well for us materially? Such thinking is an explicit in "health and wealth" teaching, and it is implicit in the lives of Christians whose use of possessions looks virtually the same as that of our non-Christian neighbors. One evening I was meeting with an underground house church overseas, and we were discussing various issues in Scripture. A woman who lived in the city and knew some English shared, "I have a television, and every once in a while I am able to get stations from the United States," she said, "Some of these stations have church services on them. I see the preachers, and they are dressed in nice clothes, and they are preaching in very nice buildings. Some of them even tell me that if I have faith, I too can have nice things." She paused before continuing. "When I come to our church meetings, I look around, and most of us are very poor, and we are meeting here at great risk to our lives." Then she looked at me and asked, "Does this mean we do not have enough faith?"

Love,

Erin

A New Year:: Probe Your Heart

2011-01-03T22:09:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year Friends!

My resolve this year is to read more, watch less t.v., blog more, journal more and pray more. I'm so thankful for a fresh beginning this year more than ever. I found a great Bible reading plan that I'm SO excited about... it's called:: The Chronological Bible Reading Plan. Essentially it takes your through the Bible in chronological order! I've always wanted to do it and this year is the time to start! If that plan doesn't seem interesting for you or you want some different ideas HERE are many other Bible reading plans.

Right now I'm reading Radical. I'm almost done. I was riding the bike at the gym today and got through a few more chapters, came home and canceled our cable!! We now just have basic. Don't get me wrong. I am NOT saying that watching t.v. is bad, but for us/ me I don't want to watch mindless television and at this point in the game we could be saving some extra money.

Last year I posted some questions to think about. Don Whitney says, "Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It's so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we're going and where we should be going."

"The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings."

I want to challenge you along with myself to spend some quiet time with the Lord and think on these questions.

What's the one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
What the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year and what will you do about it?
What is the single biggest time-waster in your life and what will you do about it this year?
What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
For whose salvation will you pray most fervently for this year?
What's the most important way you will. by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?
What one thing you could do to improve your prayer life this year?
What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

What one question stood out to you? As my mother in law says, LOL :: lots of love :: !!!!

Love,

Erin

Today Is The Day

2010-11-16T12:04:00.004-06:00

Download today. All proceeds will be going towards His Voice Global building a 4th orphanage in southern Sudan.

Love,

Erin

Will you be ONE?

2010-11-14T20:54:00.008-06:00

November 16th is fast approaching. On this day you can forever change lives in Southern Sudan. Download Actions Speak Louder on itunes and 100% of the proceeds will go to HIS VOICE GLOBAL to build a fourth orphanage.

Love,

Erin

ONE Reason To Get Back to Blogging

2010-11-11T21:57:00.003-06:00

All it takes is one. All it took was one strand of E.coli to be processed into one hamburger patty, to make it to one burger king, to one mom, whose one son, took one bite and the one life he had would then be over. All it took was a series of one events to lead to one of the biggest recalls on beef. Because of one situation America has never been the same.

In 2001, one man, Vernon burger, who had, one passion, that being Jesus, took one trip, to Southern Sudan and connected with one bishop, who was trying to love and spread the gospel to many who were orphaned by the civil war. Since that one trip in 2001, HIS VOICE GLOBAL has been in an ongoing relationship with the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), 10 years and three orphanages later they seek to continue the movement to open a fourth.

You might ask the question what makes this place so special? Sudan was in war for over 20 years before signing a peace agreement in 2006. Until the peace agreement this was the longest civil war to date in human history, leaving over 2 million dead and many children without parents. So what makes this place unique!?!? Many things but one is there are many who have teamed up, like HIS VOICE GLOBAL and The Village Church, to be a gospel centered presence through proclamation and practice. While The Village Church has sent many teams to train pastors, equip leaders and love the children in these orphanages in Yei, HIS VOICE GLOBAL was the door that God used to bring a gospel centered presence from the west into this area of the world. Now there is an opportunity for you to be a part of this continued movement of Christ in this region for as little as a dollar.

This past September a group of 13 from all walks of life from Reach Records, The village Church, Red Revolution, Collision Records and HIS VOICE GLOBAL partnered under The Village banner to go and minister to those in Southern Sudan. They ministered through teaching, medical, music, and loving children who were victims of the Civil War that now live in one of the three Orphanages sponsored by HIS VOICE GLOBAL. Moved by the fruit there and continued need, Tedashii, Lecrae (Reach Records artist), Swoope (Collision Records artist) and Jai teamed up to do a single to raise awareness and funds for a fourth orphanage in Southern Sudan. The single, which is slated to be released November 16th under new label Collision Records is called Actions Speak Louder. This single and symbol seen above calls believers to move beyond awareness and put their prayers in motion, to quote the song. The symbol inspired by the scriptures that say a strand of three cords are not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12), the exclamation points showing the immediate nature of the call to apply the gospel (Luke 4:18-19), the highlight of one exclamation point showing the power of one to change and lead others and the patch like design showing the reality that there is strength in numbers, calling believers to action, an action beyond themselves.

So leading up to this date will you be the one to blog, the one to tweet, the one to put a twibbon on your twitter account (see the twibbon below click on the link to support), the one to Facebook, the one to lead and allow you actions to speak as loud as your words. The average number of songs downloaded per day are close to 10,000,000 yes that is correct 10 million. Come November 16th HIS VOICE GLOBAL only needs over 250,000 one’s to download this amazing song (which is not even 10% of the daily average) to complete and have a fourth self sustaining orphanage. We are not asking you to change your lifestyle just point your efforts toward something that will last. The amazing thing about this whole campaign is that 100 percent of the profits from the song will go toward this fourth orphanage. All it takes is one!!!

Thanks for coming back and I promise more to come!!

Love,

Erin

Museum Glory

2010-04-27T17:22:00.004-05:00

For all of you in the "burbs" of Chi-town this is a must visit - The Frankfort Children's Museum. I went for the first time with my friend Ryan and 2 of her 4 kids!

It was great - I mean, the museum wasn't spectacular, BUT what I loved was that the kids could play, paint, color, craft, read, draw, play dress up, and there was NO clean up whatsoever!~ It was the most amazing place I have ever been!! What an amazing concept! There was even a face painting station where the mommy's could paint their children's faces! Very cute!

Another tip - they are closed on Monday's for cleaning so if you are the first ones in on Tuesday you have a sanitary, non germ infested play-haven awaiting!

Happy Playing!

Where is your favorite kid-friendly place to visit?

Love,

Erin

Is It Summer Yet?

2010-04-22T21:25:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for summer. Two days of 80 degrees is all I need to get ready. We already broke out the whale pool since the big pool doesn't open for another 3 weeks!! We love our whale pool! The kids were also blessed with a new toy from Grandpa and Gigi!! Thanks you guys! We LOVE it! Here's to praying this summer is a lot warmer and a lot longer than last year!!

Love,

Erin

Husband + Hillsong = PERFECT Night

2010-04-21T08:27:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday night was a very unexpected one. I had gotten tickets for Jarrett and I to go to Hillsong together about 2 months ago. Well, the time came and we didn't know how we were going to make it work with the kids, but the Lord made it happen!! We have been needing a night out for a while now and the night couldn't have been better.

The concert was at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates so we had a bit of a drive. We stopped on our way and had dinner and Sangria at Big Bowl - my fav!! We left early so we could enjoy our dinner and relax for a bit!! After dinner, we went next door to Woodfield Mall and walked around for a bit and found ourselves at The Cheesecake Factory for dessert!

On the way out, we stopped at Nordstrom and I used a gift card from Christmas to buy a new pair of my favorite black pants! They are a little pricey, but I got my first pair my Senior year in high school and I just now needed a new pair. They are SO comfortable and SO worth the extra $!!

Since the concert didn't start until 8:00 p.m., we got a quick Starbucks and we were on our way!

Every time I go to a Hillsong concert, I feel like I maybe get a teeny tiny glimpse of heaven. There are so many different ages and races all there to worship the One and Only God. It's a beautiful thing! I would be one to stand in the center so I have room to jump around, but my darling husband will go to concerts on a seat-only basis!! I'm thankful he goes with me!!

Speaking of jumping around, since having my two darling babes, I haven't been able to jump around at concerts like I maybe would like to - all you mom's out there know what I mean!! I have to say this concert was a little better! My calf muscles got a good work out though!! I was doing calf raises in leu of jumping around!

To my surprise, Marty Sampson led a LOT of songs that night - personally, I think he's the best!! Don't get me wrong - I really like Joel and J.D., but Marty is our favorite!! If you don't have his album check it out here. You need to own it!!

The night was incredible. We sang, Tear Down These Walls, You Hold Me Now, Arms Open Wide, and With Everything just to name a few!

When we were singing You Hold Me Now I couldn't help but notice a girl two rows back from me with her arms outstretched - she had no hair left from what seemed to be some intensive chemo treatments. She looked just like the sister from the movie My Sister's Keeper. As soon as I saw her I started weeping. I really couldn't help it. There are times I think life is hard and I've got it bad, but I don't. My heart was also heavy that night for Megan Moss so I was crying out to the Lord on her behalf that night. Praise God on our way home that night we found out she had a heart waiting for her! Here are the lyrics to the song:

On that day when I see
All that You have for me
When I see You face to face
There surrounded by Your grace

All my fears swept away
In the light of your embrace
When Your love is all I need
And forever I am free

Where the streets are made of gold
In Your presence here to hold
Let these songs of heaven rise to you alone

No weeping, no hurt or pain
No suff'ring You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sickening
No hiding You hold me now,
You hold me now

In this life fin'lly stand
Through my joy and my pain
Knowing there's a greater day
There's a hope that never fails

When You're name is lifted high
And forever praises last
For the glory of Your Name
I'll be livin' for the day

When the world has finally cease
All creation rest in peace
Let these songs of heaven rise to you alone

No weepingr, no hurt or pain
No suff'ring You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sickening
No hiding You hold me now,
You hold me now

For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your name

For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your name

For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your name

For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your name

No weeping, no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sickening
No hiding You hold me now,
You hold me now

No weeping, no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sickening
No hiding You hold me now,
You hold me now

No weeping, no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sickening
No hiding You hold me now,
You hold me now

It was an incredible night. I'm so thankful that Jarrett and I were able to spend some much needed time together and that I was able to participate in an amazing time of worship!

P.S. Don't wear your cute new shoes (that I got for $45 might I add) the night you will be walking a lot. I have a nice blister, but it was worth it!!

Love,

Erin

Two More...

2010-04-20T13:51:00.008-05:00

This past week has been full of surprises! My mom used to show paint horses - she did it until her 20's so my dad thought it would be a good idea to get her back on a horse. I have Rusty, but she is quite the cranky horse and I wouldn't dare get on her unless she has been lunged or ridden for over 6 hours!!!! To say the least, Dean and my Uncle Bob went on a trip to Ohio this past Saturday and came back not with one, but two surprises!! Uncle Dean thought Eden and Dean needed a pony! We now have two new members of the family - Beau and Petey the pony!

On Friday, Grandpa came home with a F-150 Power Wheel for Eden and Uriah. They have had a blast!!

Enjoy some pics!

Petey, Rusty, & Beau

Eden & Rusty

Petey Eden, Uncle Bob, & Beau

Beau Petey

Love,

Erin

Answered Prayer

2010-03-14T21:43:00.003-05:00

This week has been a whirlwind of emotions. Sorry I haven't written sooner, but it's been crazy!

Tuesday, my mom was bonded out of jail. It was a crazy event in and of itself. The last time I saw her in jail was on the 7th. We were there for 30 minutes and she wasn't responding at all. She maybe talked for 2 minutes total and had a number of anxiety attacks while I was there. She said she had no hope and that she would never see the light of day again. It was heartbreaking - probably the hardest it's been since this all happened.

So that was Sunday afternoon. Monday, my dad talked with the attorney and they decided it was time to try and get my mom out. We started the paperwork on Tuesday and were told that it was going to take at least 6 - 8 hours to get the paperwork started and it looked like she would be ready by 9am on Wednesday. At 6:30 p.m. that night, my friend Ryan and I were driving to Orland to do a little shopping and I got a phone call. It was my mom asking who posted her bond and was anyone there to pick her up. I was in shock. No one called like they said and it was only 3 hours after we started the paperwork. I immediately called my dad and he was on his way. They ended up kicking her out because they said they were closing. So there was my mom - wandering around downtown Joliet in her jail garb with her plastic bag full of a Bible and all the sweet cards people sent her. When Jarrett, my dad, & Dean got there they found her walking with a strange man. She said he was bringing her to his car so she could use his phone. That's when they found her. Thank you Lord.

I had so many emotions running through my head. I was SO grateful, excited, and nervous all at the same time. I thought I had 12 more hours to prepare for everything, but God's timing is perfect. She was home and so grateful. Still a bit numb - you could tell she was not herself, but rightly so. Once we got her showered and settled, she wanted a BBQ Chicken Pizza from Chicago Dough Company, a Hansen's Root Beer, & a Venti Soy Chai Tea Latte.

We had dinner as a family. Eden couldn't have been happier to see my mom. She was attached from the moment she first saw her again. It almost brought me to tears because I felt it was the Lord's way of saying, "Gaye, I love you more than this."

The following day we took her to a rehab clinic where she is now. The first night was really hard. She had a lot of anxiety. My dad ended up staying with her until 10:30p.m. when she fell asleep.

The first 2 1/2 days were really hard on her. She was not wanting to participate and was making mention of wanting her life to be over. She was/ is having a hard time with hope. forgiveness and the Lord's unending, unswerving love.

We feel there are A TON of attacks/oppression from the enemy on her thoughts and mind. Please pray for protection over her mind and that she would just claim the name and blood of Jesus over herself. I ask that you pray that for her as well.

The last 2 days we have seen a small improvement. Thank you Lord. She has been working a bit more with her therapist. And that's all that it is going to take - A small step each day.

We have been able to see her every day since she's been there. My dad has been so loyal and loving towards my mom.

Tomorrow is Monday - the new work week. Please be praying that my mom will make some good improvements this week, but most of all pray that she would find her strength in Jesus.

I'm sorry if this is all over the place. I'm sure there are some things/ details I have left out. If you think of anything and want to ask, feel free.

I hope you find comfort like I have in the lyrics of a song by Brooke Frasier.

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness, or trial, or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conquerer and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

All of my life in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the harvest
Where favour and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've recieved I will sow

I cannot say it enough how much I appreciate all the prayers, love, & support everyone has shown. If I could give each one of you a hug, I would!

Clinging to the Cross,

Erin

A Bump In The Road

2010-03-07T00:40:00.005-06:00

My 3 year old babe!

As some of you know our life has taken an unexpected turn... please bear with me as I try to pen some of my thoughts/ journey. Let this be my journal...

Monday, February 15, 2010... I hadn't heard from my mom all day. I had called lots - both her cell and my grams house... I called around 1:00 seeing if she wanted to run to Target with me... the kids were napping and Jarrett was home so I thought we could have some mother - daughter time. I was just going to drive by my grandma's to get her, but since she didn't answer, I figured they had gone out somewhere. Thank you Lord for causing me to keep on driving.

I continued to call because she was supposed to be over first thing in the morning to stay with the kids for the day and overnight. Jarrett and I had an overnight trip planned for sometime now. We were going to the city for some Switchfoot and a night in the city. The Lord had other plans.

By 8:30p.m. still no answer. Dean was home from school for some odd reason that night and I said, "I haven't heard from mom all day and I think something's wrong. Can you ride with me to grandma's?" We got in the car and went over. For some of you who don't know, my grandma broke her femur in September. She had a 1 month stay in the hospital and she was out. She almost passed twice while in there, but the Lord had other plans.

When it was time to leave my mom decided to move in with my grams. Grams was one who was set in her ways so moving in with my mom wasn't an option! My mom packed some things and gladly moved in with her mom. She was an only child so she carried the full responsibility.

When we arrived at my grams, her parking lot was blocked off with yellow crime scene tape and I saw in the distance my grandma's garage door open... WHAT??? I was instantly sick. Dean asked me what was going on.... I asked an officer, what's going on and he told me there was a homicide. I told him that is my grandma's house and my mom lived there. He waved us through.

We were met by a detective. I kept asking was it a double homicide? Did someone break in overnight? Finally he decided to tell me my grandma was killed. Where's my mom? Is she okay? He told us it would be better if we could go down to the station.

There in the small town I grew up in I found out information I thought was impossible. Was I dreaming? Is this real? Why hadn't anyone called us at 2:30p.m. when they found all this out? Why had the media known before us?

Weird, but almost instantaneously I knew the Lord was in control. Maybe that sounds a bit ridiculous, but I did.

Two anti-depressants, one anxiety medication, and one sleep aid - namely Ambien... lack of sleep, stress, and a combination of sin and the enemy... enough to do someone in - that being my mom... someone who I love more than words.

That night only 3 hours of sleep took place on my part. As I tossed and turned, I thought, "Lord if this is how it's going to be, I don't know how I'm going to handle this..." And as I awoke that morning John 8:32 was in my head ..."and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In that moment I felt the Lord saying to me, by turning herself in, the first step was taken in being "set free." Things could have ended up a lot different, but they didn't. And in those dark moments, the Lord did not leave my mom. He was there and He still is there.

Two days later my sweet princess turned 3. I will never forget her 3rd birthday. Amber and Vernon drove up for less than 1 day just to love us. Thank you sweet friends. And in between those 2 days we planned my grams funeral. Things I never dreamed to be doing. But praise be to God that we were able to get things set so we could take a day and spend it as a family...

Jules was on a flight less than 24 hours later keeping life at home somewhat normal for the kids. Jules, I love you more than I know how to express. Life would be so different without you. Eden was starting to not enjoy all the "meetings" mommy had to go to, but the kids were resilient.

We had a beautiful 2 days remembering the life of my grandma. Over 400 people came to show their love and support for her, my mom, and our family. THANK YOU ALL. I was so overwhelmed by all your love and support. Friends drove in from near and far. One pregnant with a 2 year old who is full of life. Eight hours in 1 day... that is LOVE. Friendship is one of God's greatest gifts. Friends who I haven't seen in over 10 years showed up to give a hug and lend a shoulder to cry on... and through all of this, I had my amazing husband standing by my side strong and sure... unmovable. Unshakable love... overwhelmed by the love of Jesus.

Crazy how the Lord orchestrated all of this before the beginning of time... we buried my grams, had a luncheon provided by an amazing body of believers, and I was 2 hours from seeing my mom for the first time. Nerves... wow... Love...LOve..LOVe...LOVE.... that's all that was going through my head.

A court order went through hours earlier for me to have a contact visit with my mom. I was able to hold her hands, hug her, and look in her eyes and tell her that I/we love her more than ever. People near and far love her and are praying for her and supporting her. She was grateful.

One week went by and Dean and I were able to have another contact visit with her. She was so grateful to see her kids again. She looked better. She missed us and was longing for a Root Beer.

Three days went by and I had my first video conference with her. She was having a hard day. She was visibly sad. They moved her at midnight from the medical side to general population. I think things were setting in. It was awful seeing my mom so sad. My heart was breaking for her, yet I trust this is where the Lord has her.

I immediately called my dad and he set up a video conference for the following day. He saw her Wednesday. She was able to feel his love and support. Thank you Jesus.

This has brought our family closer together than ever and through it all I have fallen deeper in love with Jesus. He is GREATER. He will NEVER fail, and He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). Friends, He is so much BIGGER. He THRIVES in situations like these. His glory shines all around, brighter than ever before. May people see it and grab a hold of it for the first time. May Jesus be my mom's everything. And may Jesus meet her right where she is.

Please pray for my mom.

Pray for wisdom.

Pray that God would be honored and glorified through it all.

This song has been my hearts song through this all. The lyrics echo the song in my heart - Alleluia, Sing by David Crowder Band

Like calm comes to a sea
Like snowfall quietly
You come to me
Like justice to the weak
Like a flood rising
You come, You come to me

And it feels like it's almost here

Alleluia majesty
Alleluia risen king
Alleluia angels sing
Like springtime to winter's hush
Like laughter to solemnness
Like a sun rising up
You come, You come to us

Alleluia majesty
Alleluia king of kings
Alleluia angels sing
Like a song rising up
In your heart filling up
Like a heart's not enough
For this love, for this love

To sing of love, to sing of love
To sing of love, love, love
Alleluia majesty
Alleluia king of kings
Alleluia angels sing

Alleluia sing!

Thanks for listening.

I honestly love each and every one of you. I pray that I can blog often and share what the Lord is doing and just to get some thoughts out!

In Him and For Him,

Erin

Passionate

2010-02-04T21:37:00.003-06:00

I am passionate about a lot of things in life. The first being my Lord and Savior, second, my amazing family of 3, and thirdly health, wellness, & nutrition. A Holistic health - one that's whole. I know it's such a heated topic this day in age - to buy organic or not to buy... is it really better... the questions go on and on. All's I can say is you need to research it for yourself and go to credible sights. Read books. Watch movies. There is a movement happening and I think it's a good one. We are becoming more aware of what we put into our bodies and more importantly what we are putting into our children's bodies.

There is lots I want to say and share, but first I want to post some videos that I have come across. Please take a few minutes and watch these. Once you get to their sites they also have some very helpful links if you are looking for some further information on these topics.

If you haven't seen Food Inc. (click on it and watch the trailer) RENT IT. We saw it in the theatre and it confirmed to us that what we believe is true. Some food is NOT food. I beg you, just watch it just so you can become informed.

Secondly, if you are a McDonald's lover, please love no more and watch THIS and THIS. They are two very short pieces of priceless information. People have kept these hamburgers for years and they still smell, look the same. No mold has grown on them, the fries are still salty, greasy, & appealing to the eye. Oh how looks can deceive. You think you're getting a nice piece of meat but what your really getting is a chemical compound creation.

The last link is about FRESH the movie that came out in 2009. This website is extremely helpful & I recommend you go to your local library and ask if they have a copy on file or see if they can get one. Look at the SICKLY, crippled animals in this movie. This is what we're eating. No wonder we can buy a cheeseburger for $.50 & a chicken sandwich for a $1.

I will never forget a story my father-in -law told me. He traveled a lot for work and he would usually just go to the Golden Arches. One night he got an ice cream cone for dessert but when he got back to his hotel he decided he didn't want it so he threw it in the toilet. When he woke up the next morning it was still there... floating in the toilet water. Hhhmmmm.... only a chemical composed compound can do something like that.

Now I admit, I used to LOVE me an M&M McFlurry or a Triple Thick Chocolate shake, but when I started researching and reading and asking questions my intake of these kids of foods had to stop. I hope you can make the transition too.

What are YOU passionate about?

Let me know any thoughts or questions!!

Love you guys,

Erin

10 Questions To Ask In The New Year

2010-01-09T20:32:00.002-06:00

At the end of December, Justin Taylor posted this on his blog. It's by Don Whitney and I thought it was really good and wanted to share it with you.

It was a blog on 10 questions to ask yourself in the New Year. Jarrett and I are driving down to St. Louis tomorrow so I'm hoping that during the driving time while the kids are napping we can discuss some of these! I also plan to write them down in my journal and reflect on some.

I have good intentions this year to blog more about what the Lord is doing in my life and in our family's life... pray that for me that I am a doer of that intention!

I love you all and pray this first week and a half of the New Year has been great for you. May the Lord meet you where you are and may you be refreshed by His presence!

Below you will find the 10 questions.

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.
What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?
What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

Much Love,

Erin

"Help Find Joe Houston"

2009-11-05T20:07:00.002-06:00

My friend Amanda posted this blog and my heart was really stirred. Please read and keep this family in your prayers or help out in whatever way you can.

Here is a little of what she said on her blog about Joe Houston.

I have also been praying earnestly for the last week for my friend Jenn and her fiancee Joe. Joe is a Navy pilot based in Corpus Christi, TX, whose plane went missing around the Gulf last Wednesday. The body of his co-pilot was found but there is no sign of Joe. The hope is that his parachute worked and that he is safely awaiting rescue. The official search has now been called off, but other people are continuing to search today. There are many, many people praying for him. Please join us. You can read more about it here.

Here is the website.

findjoehouston.blogspot.com

Love,

Erin

CaLIFORNIA Video!

2009-10-16T23:38:00.001-05:00

And here is a short video Amber made from our trip!

California!!!! from Amber Burger on Vimeo.

CALIFORNIA!~

2009-10-16T21:41:00.007-05:00

Oh California... sweet California...

So I remembered that I haven't blogged about my trip to California yet. As most of you know, back in April I bought tickets to a Dave Matthews Band concert in San Diego. The reason for this purchase was because Switchfoot was opening for them... I know... AMAZING. If I had to name my top 3 bands, it would be DMB, Switchfoot and Hillsong/ Hillsong United - so to see 2 of them together was just incredible. I immediately called Amber and TOLD her she was coming with me. No kids... just us girls. Our friend Amy decided she had to experience this with us so off we went! It was so weird packing JUST for myself. It actually felt quite odd and a lot harder than packing for a family of 4. So off I went - 1 carry-on, 1 purse, and 1 breast pump!

I'm trying to recall every event in which it happened so please excuse my jumbling! First off, this was my first ever trip without my kids. Eden is 2 1/2 and Uriah is almost 11 months. I was a bit sad to leave, but excited for the adventure. It made it a lot easier to leave knowing that they would be there with home with their daddy. So, off I went.

It was so weird being at the airport by myself... sitting at a cafe, eating a hot breakie all by myself... crazy! Then the madness started ** ANY MALE READERS THAT HAVE A HARD TIME WITH NURSING MOTHERS STOP READING ** I was about to explode. Into the bathroom I went to find a stall with an outlet... wait... there were ZERO outlets... not one in 1 of the 20 stalls. Then I saw the only one... right on the middle of the sink counter... so I took out my pump and started pumping. I had many women come in and give me that look... some smiled and said, " Oh, I remember those days honey..." and continued to tell me how back in the day they nursed their kids until age 5...WHOA WHOA WHOA... hold the phone! As soon as my child can spell or say mimi's, milk, mommy, that's where I draw the line! So first pumping session over. I have to admit when I was pouring my milk down the drain, it felt as though I was dumping gold down the sink. For any mother, I think breast milk = gold!

So I made it to my connection - Dallas, TX where I got on the same flight with my sweet friend, Amber! We were so excited that we were on the same flight to San Diego! Woo Hoo for us! There was only 1 problem. It had now been 4-5 hours since my last pumping session. All along I was assuming I would get to Dallas, pump, then be okay until we landed in SD. Well, there wasn't enough time during the connection. Now nursing mom's, you know that feeling... you feel like you are about to explode and it's starting to make you sick... We boarded and I started talking to the sweetest African American stewardess. I asked her if there were any sort of plugs/ outlets on the plane. She told me no and asked why I needed one. I told her my reason and she told me how the same thing happened to her when she went to an airline conference. I asked her what she did and I still can't believe she told me. She told me she did the only thing she could think of... (by the way, she acted out what I'm about to say)... She said she practically milked herself and spit it out... OH MY WORD~ My mouth was to the ground... I was mortified! I don't know why, but the only thing I could think of to say was, "how did you get it in your mouth?"

So I went into the bathroom to give myself some sort of relief. Don't worry. There was no way I was even going to attempt what she said! I tried milking myself and it was aweful. Milk everywhere. All over the mirror, floors... I was squirting myself in the eyes... I was SO embarrassed to walk back out of the lavatory. I felt as though I had been in there for 30 minutes and I knew Amber would be cracking up... Note to self: Do NOT take a girls trip until your children are weaned!

So we made it to sunny California! We hopped into our rental car and drove to meet Amy at the house we were staying at. It was amazing and we were very blessed. We drove to the beach and hung out, watched the sunset, and had an amazing dinner.

Saturday we started driving down the coast to the Venue in Chula Vista, CA. We stopped at a In & Out Burger (where I got food poisoning and was sick the rest of the night... at the concert...) and then stopped at a Trader Joe's to get some snacks for the pre-concert festivities.

So all pre concert, I was sick... puking in a port a potty.... gross! Bad burger... anyways, Switchfoot was AMAZING! I saw a side of Amber that I have never seen before!!! She went up to every security guard she could find and proceeded to tell them why they should let her through to the stage....! It was so awesome! She told them how she flew all the way from Texas to see Switchfoot! It was classic! I love you Ambie!!! I seriously was preparing to watch her just bust through security and run to the front!!

Then Dave started and it was amazing. His latest album is maybe the best yet. Anyway, the first note started and I think the 3 of us were high instantly. I have never smelt weed like that. It was everywhere. The 3 of us were laughing so hard... then I started puking. We had to leave and there we sat on the shoulder of the 805 with me puking my guts out...

All in all the trip was so wonderful. We had so much fun - lots of laughs, good food, and relished in the Lord's beautiful creation.

The second thing we learned was if you are going to travel half way around the country to see a concert, pay the extra $30 for seats instead of the lawn!

I'm sure I'm leaving some funny stuff out, but my brain is fried at the moment!

Oh! I remember one more thing. I was at the SD airport doing one last round of pumping in the bathroom and bless her heart, an employee at the airport came up to me and asked me if anyone could do what I was doing (make milk come out of you...) and I said, "Yes, if you are a woman, have kids..." I was thinking she had a small baby... I asked her how old her child was and she said 8... OH MY WORD! Could you imagine if she went home and was like, come here son...!

Enjoy the pics!

Love,

Erin

In & Out Burger - how I love thee, but you made me SO SICK =(

View from dinner our 1st night

Watching the sunset at dinner

FRESH crab cakes with mango salsa. SO amazing

The Surfliner. I would take the train to work everyday if I lived here!

View from the Pier looking the other way.

We drove down the coast & stopped at the school where Jarrett graduated from.

San Diego. Here we come!

Day at the beach!

A Halloween Preview

2009-09-20T16:56:00.003-05:00

As soon as Eden's costume came in the mail she insisted that she try it on!

Enjoy!

Love,

Erin

What We've Been Up To

2009-09-18T20:33:00.008-05:00

My trip to San Diego was AMAZING! I will do a post dedicated solely to my trip in the near future. Right now I will fill you in on some of our summer adventures.

In July & August there were some local carnivals and this was Eden's first time to enjoy all the fun. She had a blast... I think she liked the carousel the most. We were so blessed to have Lexi with us because she helped ease any fears Eden had about the rides!

In September we went to Kansas City, well, Overland Park, KS, to watch our cousins Grace & Sophie. We went to the city market which was the most amazing farmer's market I have ever been to in my life. We also went to Worlds Of Fun and we had TONS of fun. If you haven't been before, they have a place for young kids called CAMP SNOOPY and it was awesome. Eden thought she was in heaven! I will post some pics that are absolutely hilarious, but just for a little intro, I grew up LOVING roller coasters... Jarrett not so much! I was going on all the roller coasters and all the fun rides with the kids & Jarrett got crazy in CAMP SNOOPY! We had lots of good laughs! On our way out of town we drove through Independence, MO and found Jarrett's childhood home, which was SO adorable!

Enjoy the pictures!

Love,

Erin

Am I Dreaming...

2009-09-10T19:41:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe tomorrow is almost here...

Back in April when I found out that Switchfoot was playing in San Diego AND opening up for Dave Matthews Band I thought I had died and gone to heaven. You have NO idea. If I had to pick my fav 3 groups, they would be DMB, Switchfoot, & Hillsong/ Hillsong United... Seeing 2 of them together is just INSANE!!!!!

So at 5am I will be on my way to O'Hare without child, without husband... just me, my suitcase, and my pump! This is a girls weekend that I have been looking forward to for quite some time now! My sweet friends, Amber & Amy are coming along on this wild and crazy weekend trip to Chula Vista, California! Haha! Yes, we are the wild and crazy bunch, you know!

And this is so fun, but I fly from Chicago to Dallas and then Amber gets on the SAME plane as me and we fly into OC together! FUN!!!!

I will fill you in on our adventures when we return.

Love,

Erin

HELP!

2009-07-17T23:06:00.007-05:00

Okay,

So any of you mommies out there with some thoughts and help on our current situation would be wonderful!!!

As most of you know, or maybe don't know, we live back at home with my dad and we are all sleeping in the same room - one big happy family! Eden holds down the right side of the room in her big girl bed, Jar and I in the middle of the room lay motionless so we don't wake up the children, and Uriah hangs out in his crib on the right side of the room waking whenever he sees fit.

Yes. My 8 month old, 22lb. man wakes up WAY TOO MUCH.

And it's not like we can just let him "cry it out..." We have Eden in the same room and my dad right above us.

He eats 3 times a day and lots of it.

To his defense, he has been teething since 4 months. He now has 6 and maybe is on the verge of a couple more... I'm not sure.

He was going to bed at 7 and now it's moved back to 7:45 / 8:00. He usually wakes up an hour or so after I put him down then anytime after that. It's usually around midnight, then 2, then 4... Ahhhh!

I know he probably just wants to nurse, or maybe he's in pain... I just don't know how long this can go on.

Please friends send some words of wisdom!!!

Love,

Erin

James McDonald

2009-05-28T21:56:00.002-05:00

I just finished reading THIS - Pastor James McDonald's latest blog post and I think it is a must read.

Enjoy.

Love,

Erin

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T13:17:00.003-05:00

I hope all you mom's out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. I had a wonderful day beginning with church. I got my first gift when Eden stayed in class the WHOLE service. This is a major first and all those who have struggled with the same issue, know what a rejoicing moment this truly is. It has been 2 1/2 years in the making. We were so delighted that we decided to get Eden a pony!!! (Joke)!

After church we had a nice lunch and Jarrett and the kids blessed me with a wonderful gift. I also received beautiful flowers and some beautiful cards.

I am so blessed to be a mommy. There is no greater job in the world.

Love,

Erin

Happy Birthday Jules and a Message for Titus

2009-04-30T08:03:00.005-05:00

Here's a birthday shout out to the most wonderful mother-in-law in the whole world.

Jules we love you SO much and hope you have a wonderful day. Wish we could be celebrating with you!

XOXO

Love,

Jarrett, Erin, Eden, & Uriah

EASTER '09

2009-04-21T21:36:00.014-05:00

For Easter this year we went to Diamond City, Arkansas where Jarrett's grandparents have a house on Bull Shoals Lake. We all surprised Grandma B for her 70th birthday. She had no clue we were coming... it was fun! On the way down we stopped in Springfield for lunch and I got to see MARILYN!!! It was great catching up. Love you hunny!

Over the weekend, our cousin Ram, had a baseball game so lots of cousins went to cheer them on. It's always so fun for Eden when we all get together. She LOVES her cousins and gets spoiled non stop. Someone is constantly holding her, feeding her... it's funny! She plays hide and seek like a mad lady and is still asking me to count everyday... She will doesn't realize that even though she is covering her face I can still see her!

On the way home, we stopped in St. Louis for a short stop to pick up a Bumbo seat from Danielle and Dave. Eden got to play with little Mikail and loved her new Easter toy (Aunt Amy... where did you get that thing)? Eden tried to take it home!

Hope you all had a blessed Easter weekend.

Love,

Erin

Ready for the 9 hour drive :)

Our yummy lunch stop... even after being at SBU for a whole year, I never made it to Braum's. I had a delicious cheeseburger, fries, & a chocolate shake that Mar and I shared!

Marilyn, Eden, & Me

Me & Mar

"Her Sweetness" @ Ram's Baseball Game

Playing under the bleachers

GO Ram!

Ba Ba Break

Side walk chalk with Grace & Emily

Hanging with Gunnar

Leaving the game with Grace & Emily

Cousin Love

Uriah & Great Grandpa B

Who we stopped & saw on the way home! Baby M

Eden COVETING Mikail's new toy!

Mikail & Dave

Yeah Bumbo seat

The Girls minus Danielle who was working :(

Eden trying to take all of Mikail's babies!

Sweet Girl

Mikail, Dave, Uriah, & Jarrett

A Tribute to 1640 Rue Martel Bonne Terre, MO

2009-04-18T09:28:00.005-05:00

Today is the day my mother-in-law has been working so hard for... They are having a home auction and selling everything inside. I'm sure this will be an emotional day for them since it's emotional for me and I haven't lived there for 9 years. I think I have some emotional ties for lots of different reasons.

It's the house that Jarrett and I hung out at when we first dated. It's the house I waited for him at when he returned from Paris. It's the house where Julie and Marty cried with me after Jarrett and I broke up. It's the first place we lived after we got married... didn't last too long (2 Months)! I was EXTREMELY homesick. And it's the place Eden has come to love and know as Juju and Grandpa Mar's house. I'm SO sad to see them leave, but praying and believing that the Lord has lots more in store for them in Dallas. I love you guys so much and thank you SO much for making your home the warmest place I have ever been. Thank you for always being so welcoming and letting your kids intrude at anytime!! Thank you for all the delicious, homemade, healthy meals. Thank you for finishing your basement so we could have our first home! Jules, thanks for being my mom and Marty, thanks for being my other dad. I love you guys with all of my heart.

XOXOXO

Love,

Erin

Our First Home

Juju down by the water with Eden

The view of the lake from their house

Goodbye 1640 Rue Martel

Thanks for the memories!

Teeth

2009-04-16T21:15:00.006-05:00

Hola!

I've been out of the blogging world for a while... we've been busy moving... longer post on that subject to come!

Two weeks ago our 17lb. little ham woke up screaming for no apparent reason. When morning came we soon found out the reason for all the commotion...

TEETH... at 4 1/2 months... Are you kidding me? I had 9 1/2 months of toothless bliss with Eden. Oh well!

Love,

Erin

The Dirty Dozen

2009-03-10T19:50:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to post on this for a while but keep forgetting so here is what I hope to be some useful info for all interested!

The Dirty Dozen (These fruits and veggies contain the most pesticides and are always best to buy organic):

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

The Cleanest 12: (these fruits and veggies scored the lowest in pesticide contamination)

Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn & Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Kiwi
Bananas
Broccoli
Eggplant

(Source: www.foodnews.org)

Love,

Erin

A Little Uriah

2009-02-24T21:44:00.006-06:00

I cannot believe my little boy is already 3 months.

Just wanted to share a few pics from today.

Love,

Erin

Cayenne, Frankincense, & Hormone Cream

2009-02-24T21:00:00.004-06:00

My mother-in-law came in for the week of Eden's birthday... and let me say that God has blessed me with the most incredible mother in law ever. I love her with all my heart and feel as though I am one of her own. When she comes she stays in the basement and Eden knows every time where to find Juju's bag of goodies (toiletries.)

Eden had vanished for a bit, but I wasn't too worried. Lately she has been the queen of hide and seek. She will hide all by herself in her dark closet sometimes for 30 minutes. When I need a break I just tell her I'll play hide and seek with her and that gets me some time to myself... JUST JOKING! I don't ever do that!! Anyways, she was MIA and all of a sudden I heard her choking downstairs. First of all I had NO clue she can now open the door to the basement all by herself. Is that possible? I ran down there and she was choking on one of Jules vitamins... good thing it was just a CAYENNE PEPPER pill! Poor girl... the closet liquid to wash it down with was a bottle of FRANKINCENSE OIL... but that's not all... when I turned her around to help her out she had her face and upper body covered in Dr. Kleitz HORMONE CREAM. Poor kid - she probably was having hot flashes during her nap - adverse effects!!

By this point she was crying 'cause her mouth was burning, she was sweating, and she smelled like she was in the barn with the three wisemen at Jesus' birth. After scraping her tongue with a wet wash cloth and getting some carrot juice into her to stop the burning she was down for her nap. Lets just say that when she woke up she no longer had that runny nose that has been haunting me for the past week. So for all you mom's out there looking how to cure these winter blues, just have your kid eat half of a cayenne pepper pill.

Thank you Jesus it was nothing toxic!!

Love,

Erin

Eden's 2nd Birthday

2009-02-19T14:20:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was Eden's 2nd birthday... I cannot believe it. People always said, "Oh, enjoy it, it goes by fast.." Well, I can't believe how true that really is. Uriah will be 3 months tomorrow and I can't believe that either. I think I'm starting to feel the post pregnancy chub because by this time with Eden it was May already and I was able to get out and run... now it's February and minus 50 and I can't even walk outside to get the mail. Thank you Lord for sweats from Victoria Secret that make you feel semi cute!

So, since funds were short this year we had no party for Miss Eden. Instead we had a buy-your-own lunch at Choo Choo Johnny's with some close friends and family. It's a hot dog/ hamburger place that brings your lunch out on a toy train. Eden's really into trains at the moment so it was perfect. She loved opening presents this year and was definitely all about the quantity and not quality! We got her the Goodnight Moon matching game and she loved it. I think she can recite Goodnight Moon by memory!

She ended her day with a yummy birthday dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn and a cake from the local grocery store. She had a special phone call from Aunt Ambie and Uncle Bern and she got the coolest birthday cake for her kitchen from Aunt Dani, Uncle Dave, and little M.

Thank you all so much for making this day special inspite of the dying economy!

Here are some pics from the day.

P.S. On her 2nd birthday she had pigtails for the first time. I have to admit I'm just not getting into doing her hair!!

Eden & Mommy

Driving to her birthday lunch

Eden & Avery waiting for their lunch to come out on the choo-choo train

Her birthday present from JuJu & Grandpa Mar

Her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday Cake

Her first taste of Hansen's Root Beer from JuJu

Love,

Erin

Mimi's

2009-02-19T13:01:00.003-06:00

Just a little funny post about Eden...

After her nap the other day she came downstairs with Boo, Lucy, Baby, and Margaret... her babies and informed me that baby Lucy was hungry. She crawled up next to me, got a blankie, lifted up her shirt and began to nurse Lucy. It was hilarious. After Lucy was all done, she burped her and put her in the swing. Talk about being watched every second of every day!!

Love,

Erin

A Beautiful Wedding - A Not So Beautiful Car Ride Home

2009-02-09T17:53:00.005-06:00

Wow! Where do I start? As most of you know, we had been planning on leaving Thursday, Feb. 5th for St. Louis for Miciah's wedding. Well Monday, Eden started throwing up and had a fever. Great... how were we supposed to make a long drive with a puking child? Well, she stopped for a day then started again on Wednesday. Not good!! My mom was planning on going with us to help out with the kids since we were both in the wedding so we told her to be at our house at 7am Thurs. morning so we could leave. Well, Eden was up half the night sick so needless to say neither of us got much sleep. We woke up thinking it was early like usual, but when we looked at the clock and saw that is was 8:30 we felt like Mr. & Mrs. McCallister from Home Alone... We yelled downstairs and sure enough my mom has been sitting on the couch since 7am waiting for us to get up!!

So... what a great way to start the trip! By the time we got up, got dressed,and got the rest of the car loaded it was 10 am. Our arrival time was quickly getting later and later!

Our first stop was at the local Panera in Springfield, IL. We were all so hungry so we sat down to eat and as soon as Eden was about to take a bite of her soup, she started throwing up in her Panera tray! That makes for some good eatin'! Praise God we made it to Panera though and it wasn't happening in the car. We got her all cleaned up and loaded back up and we were off again. We finally made it to Julie's (Uriah slept the whole way from Panera - 2 1/2 hours) and it didn't take Eden more than 10 minutes before she threw up again. Great!

Thursday night we had a nice relaxing dinner with the family and Friday morning we had a busy day decorating the reception hall and the church. The rehearsal dinner went smoothly and Saturday morning quickly arrived. The girls went to the salon to get our hair done and Eden and Jarrett went to the park. It was 65 degrees out so we couldn't pass up the opportunity.

It was now time for the wedding to start. I was a bridesmaid, Eden was a flower girl, and Jarrett was an usher. We kept telling her that when she got to the aisle she was going to throw her flowers out of her basket. So she had me to walk to and Jarrett behind her reminding her what to do. As the time drew near, Jarrett opened the doors for Eden to walk down the aisle. As she approached the aisle, she looked around and smiled. You could see the wheels turning in her head..." Is this where I start to throw my flowers?" She looked up with confidence and threw her whole entire flower basket down the aisle! It was hilarious! I think she was a little confused. She ran and got her basket and proceeded to throw the flowers down one by one!

Now for the car ride home... My mom and I both woke up feeling sick Sunday morning. The drive was going smoothly but as we approached Springfield, IL my mom started saying that she felt like she was going to throw up. She decided that she had to and asked Jarrett to pull over on the side of the road. We were now on the shoulder of I-55 and my mom opened the car door and started throwing up A LOT. I was sitting in the back between the two car seats and before I knew it I heard Jarrett yell, "CALL 911..." WHAT! He jumped out of the car and ran to my mom who was now laying in the embankment on the side of the road passed out. She blacked out and fell out of the car and down in the ditch on the highway. By this time Eden was crying, "Gigi fell... Where'd Gigi go??"... Uriah's screaming, ready to eat, and I'm climbing into the front seat to get outside to try and flag down some help. Im the mean time I was on the phone with 911 and they were sending some help. I wish I had my video camera to video how many people drove past after seeing a lady laying on the side of the road... We could have been on that show, "What Would You Do..." Anyway, a young Indian man ran up and informed us that he was a doctor... (a doctor at the same place where I had Uriah in the city... WEIRD)! He started taking my mom's vitals and him and Jarrett were talking to her trying to get her to come back. By this time the coolest woman truck driver pulled over and got down in the action with my mom... she was so sweet and 2 National Guardsmen pulled over in their massive Hummer.

The police and ambulance arrived and my mom refused to go to the hospital. She said she was fine... So we started on the road again with only 2 1/2 dreadful hours to go! So we made it home... NOT QUITE! We were 30 minutes from home and I started to get that feeling. Yeah... so the closet thing to me was a bucket of animal crackers from Trader Joe's so I quickly opened the lid and dumped the cookies out - mind you, Eden is now

crying that mommy dumped out all her cookies on the floor - now, I start puking LOTS. Jarrett is losing it about to puke as well since he pukes at the sound of someone else puking... Eden is mocking me making puke noises, and uriah is definitely ready to be out of his car seat. I'm sorry to say this but the smell was so horrible that when I finished, I

put the lid back on and threw it out the window. Please forgive me Lord! I'm sure the car behind us wasn't too happy!

Well, we made it home and I'm not planning on going on any road trips in the near future!!

Love to you all!

Blessings,

Erin

Mommy & Uriah

Eden in her dress

Beautiful Miciah

Mommy & Eden

Eden & Daddy

Catch up and the events of September

2009-01-23T20:01:00.010-06:00

Well, here I am again... long time and no post. Bear with me as I'm still adjusting to life as a mother of two. It is wonderful though and I am loving every minute of it. My husband is definitely one of the reason's it has been an easy adjustment! So I want to catch you up on the things we did September - December and then catch you up on Eden and Uriah.

Uriah just turned 2 months and Eden is going to be 2 years old on February 18th. I cannot believe it. Some new things about Eden is:

* She is potty trained (except at night time she still gets a diaper)

* She can count from 1 - 10

* She sings her ABC's

* She loves Mickey Mouse

* She loves make up

Some fun things about Uriah are:

* Since he's been home from the hospital he has slept for 6 hour spurts at night! Praise Jesus!!

* He loves to eat

* At his 2 week appointment he had already gained 2 lbs. weighing in at 9 lbs. 10 oz

* He has a cute little birthmark on his right wrist

The list could go on but I'm sure some the pictures will speak for themselves!

I'll now begin the September update!

Really the only exciting events of September were my cousin Kari's wedding and Eden eating butter!

That's it for now!!

Love,

Erin

Snow And A Baby

2008-11-22T19:16:00.005-06:00

Thursday, 11/20/08

8:00 a.m.

We were sitting at breakfast and Eden came up to me and said, "Pray mommy - Baby and Snow!" Eden was asking me to pray for a baby and snow! Amen to that!! It was a clear and cold Chicago day with no predictions of snow, but we prayed and asked for snow and most definitely a baby. By 9:00 a.m. it was snowing - just one more answer to prayer to go!

10:00 a.m.

It had been 41 hours since my water broke and things were still moving in the same direction - contractions, but nothing strong enough to kick labor into high gear. My midwives were still with me and had been for the past 2 days - God Bless them! Jarrett and I spent some time together alone with our midwives and decided that if nothing was "stronger" by 3:00 p.m. we would pack it up and head to the midwife wing at University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago to be induced. By this point we were definitely ready to have a healthy baby despite our homebirth wishes. So since we were planning on going to the hospital if nothing was happening, Sarah checked me and I was definitely still dilated 7 cm.

I tried everything that day! We went for a brisk walk, acupressure, herbs - and sure enough I would get some strong contractions, but nothing was sticking around. By 2:30 we were packing a small bag and hoping for a quick delivery at the hospital.

Sarah went ahead of us to let the midwives at the hospital know what was going. She set me up with a great room and the most wonderful staff. My room even had a tub for pain management! Megan, the other midwife was on her way to stay with me during the labor.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:00 p.m. and by 6:15 we were settled in the room and ready to go. It took the nurses 4 tries to get the IV in my hand which was SOOO frustrating! I have never ever had a problem with my veins, but for some reason they were having trouble. Praise Him they were able to get it on the 4th try!

By 6:30 the pitocin was administered and things were on their way. Around 7:00 I was REALLY starting to feel my contractions. (And this is where things were getting painful so Jarrett's going to type about the next part)!

Hello, All: okay, let me just say that when it comes time to deliver her baby Erin does not fool around. The intensity of the contractions progressed quickly. Equally intense though was Erin's determination. She was so focused.

After being there for Eden's birth and watching my sweet wife chase off nurse after nurse, I was scared to touch her. So I was in charge of administering water and lending a hand to squeeze. It was not long before the before the intense contractions turned into involuntary pushing.

During the second episode of involuntary pushing Erin calmly announces that she is feeling burning. With that the midwives thought it a good idea to lift up the gown (Erin was on all fours in the hospital bed) and take a peek to see where things were at. And it was a good thing they checked because the next thing I know the midwives were rushing to put on their gloves. She put on her second glove, literally, just in time to catch Uriah as he slipped out of the birth canal.

Since I was up by Erin's head, I leaned over to see a little weanie. All the manliness inside of me wanted to yell, "IT'S A BOY!!!" However, I contained my joy for the moment because I figured if Erin waited this long to find out, she might as well see it for herself. Looking back, I wish I would have said it...It would have been better for the video :) Erin and Uriah did so awesome! I was so proud of them.

Erin again...

After 1 stitch, PRAISE HIM, we had a quick recovery in the room and Eden was on her way in to meet her baby brother. She was SO adorable. She snuck in and then got a BIG grin on her face! She loves baby "Ry!" She was a little unsure about sharing the "mimi's" but has gotten used to the fact!

By 9:00 p.m. we were on our way to our private room where my sweet husband had Big Bowl waiting for me! I was so hungry. We had a great 1st night. Uriah slept pretty well snuggled up in my arms and the nurses didn't come in once to check on us.

We wanted to go home asap since we were all feeling well and anxious to get home so we were discharged less than 24 hours after the birth.

It has been so wonderful since we got home. Uriah had a bit of a rough night last night, but everyone is adjusting well. Eden is doing amazing and loves her baby bro SO much! She kisses him constantly.

Considering all the facts, a homebirth turned hospital birth was wonderful. Praise Him for His perfect plan!

What a blessing to have a boy and a girl. Thank you so much for all your prayers and well wishes. We love you all SO much and are so thankful to share this gift with you.

Lots of Love,

Erin, Jarrett, Eden, & Uriah

P.S. Pictures are on the way!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

2008-11-21T10:01:00.003-06:00

We are proud to announce the birth of our son!!!

URIAH MICHAEL REARDON

Born on his due date... 11/20/08 @ 7.56 p.m.

7 lbs. 10 oz. 19 1/2 inches

Lots more details to come!

Love,

Jarrett, Erin, Eden, & Uriah

Erin's homebirth: Take 2

2008-11-19T08:25:00.003-06:00

Well, I am pretty sure Eden is beginning to think that her parents are liars and there is in fact no baby. Last night (just like a week and a half-ago) we told Eden she would have a new baby brother or sister in the morning. and like last time, she woke and we had to explain to her that the baby was still in mommy's belly.

So...it is Wednesday morning and on the positive side, we all slept well. Sarah, the midwife, has been monitoring things and she said everything is fine. She said that 70% of women have the baby within 48 hours of her water breaking. 90% have it within 72 hours.

Erin (this is Jarrett typing) is having contractions but they are still irregular and not very intense. Sarah has not done any vaginal exams as that greatly increases the risk of infection. Sarah and her nurse, Megan, are out for breakfast and we are having some breakfast hanging out with my mom, Jules, who arrived at 1 am last night after a tire blowout in East St. Louis. Sarah will stay in the neighborhood until the baby arrives. We love y'all and are incredibly grateful for your prayers. As far as we can tell everything has gone really well. Amen!

Baby Update!

2008-11-08T08:30:00.007-06:00

I have started and stopped typing this post about 20 times now so here is my attempt to finish...

It all started Thursday morning... I woke up to quite a bit of spotting. I called my midwifes around 10 am and they said they were going to come out at 3:00 p.m. In the mean time I called my mother in law and she was on her way. I also made a big pot of spaghetti sauce and Jarrett came home from work and helped me clean like crazy!

When Sarah and Megan (midwifes) arrived, they checked me and I was already a 6 and having mild contractions.

I hung out on the exercise ball and went about our normal routine. Eden had her stethoscope out and was ready to help check my blood pressure and listen to the baby! Things were definitely moving in the "labor" direction.

Around 6:00 we ate dinner together and chatted then I was instructed to try and rest for a while. I fell asleep at 7:30 and the midwives came up every 2 hours to check on the baby. At this point, I was still having contractions but nothing strong enough really put things over the edge.

Around 2:30 am they came up with a dose of castor oil (GROSSSS) to try and help things along... well, let me just say that I never want to drink that nasty stuff ever again. It makes your stomach feel so horrible.

By 6:00 am things were still the same - mild contractions - so I took a brisk walk to see if that would push things along. The midwives went for breakfast at a local diner so we could have some family time.

When they returned they checked me and I was dilated to a 7 but by 12:00 p.m. my contractions had stopped and I was feeling great... what in the world~! After a deliberation they decided they would pack it up and wait for me to call them once things started happening again. They left me with the doppler so I could monitor and listen to the baby's heartbeat .

Well, it is now Tuesday and I'm still with child and feeling wonderful! The Lord has definitely been teaching me patience as well as show me His humorous side! Needless to say I am 9 days away from my due date... but all the anticipation of an early labor because of the early dilation is leaving everyone puzzled. It is a mystery!

I go see my midwife tomorrow and we will find out the latest! I will most definitely keep everyone posted and promise I won't take this long anymore! Lots of love and blessings to all.

XOXO

Love,

Erin

August...

2008-10-12T21:15:00.001-05:00

August was filled with lots of fun events!! Aunt Beth and Hannah came for a visit for Hannah's birthday. We went to the Rascall Flatts / Taylor Swift concert and took them to a Cards / Cubs game at Wrigley. We all proudly wore our Cardinals gear which really made Grandpa mad :) The concert was so much fun. I honestly have never seen so many people at one venue in my entire life. It was kind of overwhelming. I also have never seen so many intoxicated high schoolers. It was really sad and made me really thankful that I was kind of sheltered from parties during high school. We were starting to attempt to potty train Eden. She was doing really good at first and loved using her potty. Then she started going on the floor so that was enough of that!! I guess the adventures of 2 in diapers will bless this house!

My brother Dean left for college which was really sad. I didn't think I would be that upset, but my emotions definitely got the best of me! I blame it on being pregnant!! He's in Kalamazoo, MI at Western Michigan University so we've already made a couple of trips up there to visit, one of which my wallet was stolen. The person who got it tried using everything so we had to get new debit cards, new credit card, and a new checking account which was no fun.

We also had an intern reunion in St. Louis which was a BLAST! A group of friends who did an internship at Houston's First Baptist Church in the summer of 2001 try and get together every year. It was a time of food, fun, and wonderful fellowship! We are already looking forward to next year. And on the last day of August, Jarrett took me to a Hillsong United concert which was AWESOME! They usually come once a year to Chicago and we try not to miss it.

Here are some pics.

Go Cards!

Jarrett, Aunt Beth, Hannah, and I @ Rascall Flatts

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Eden on her favorite chair

Jarrett with his best friend Vernon, Titus, & Eden

Eden & Titus

The Girls

Love,

Erin

July...

2008-10-12T21:13:00.001-05:00

The second weekend of July we went to Grand Haven, Michigan which is a must visit for all you Midwesterners! It's such a cool little beach town. We did lots of boating and went to the beach the last night. We definitely didn't want to come home.

Before I post pics of the weekend in Grand Haven, these are some of my fav's from July!

Eden definitely LOVES her daddy!!

It was also a very exciting month for my favorite sister, Miciah. She passed her state board exams and is officially a R.N. We are so proud of her. THEN... SHE GOT ENGAGED!! We are so happy for her and can't wait for all the pre-wedding fun!!

Miciah and her Fiance Tim

Fourth of July @ Uncle John's

Grandpa Marty, Ciah, and Tim @ Starved Rock

Eden LOVED the lake!!

Swimming with Daddy!

Passed out after a long day.

Family Photo

Baby News

2008-10-01T20:20:00.002-05:00

So, I'm skipping July, August, & September and heading right to October for the latest post... sorry I've been so slack!

Anyway, I went to my midwife today for my 33 week check up and I wasn't expecting what I heard. She kept feeling for the baby's head around my belly button and could not feel it. I had been telling her that I've been experiencing some intense pelvic pressure, but I figured it was a combination of Braxton Hicks, a long day with Eden and doing mommy/wife stuff.

She decided to do an internal exam and realized the reason she couldn't feel the baby's head was because it was RIGHT THERE... Needless to say my eyes started to well up with tears because I didn't want this poor baby to come so early and because I was a bit in shock.

Charity told me I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. She said if I were 38 weeks she would have told me I was going to have this baby tonight.

She sent me to UIC Medical Center to be assessed and make sure I wasn't in active labor. After a long day, I was sent home with strict orders of bed rest... at least for the next 9-10 days when the lungs would be at a point where they wouldn't need steroids.

So, please be keeping the baby and me in your prayers. Pray for Eden that she would somehow be understanding and for Jarrett as he assumes Mr. Mom duties along with long days at work :) Poor baby! Any ideas on bed rest fun would be greatly appreciated!!

I will keep you posted.

Love,

Erin

June...

2008-07-29T20:39:00.001-05:00

Oh June... let me think... well we took Eden to Brookfield Zoo and as you can see she was having a blast... no really... she did have lots of fun seeing all the animals and making all the noises!

Then my baby brother, Dean, graduated from high school which I cannot believe. He got a scholarship to Western Michigan for soccer. I'm so excited for him! I love my little Dean.

The next weekend we went to St. Louis for a friends wedding and got to see Danielle and Mandi and Eden got to hang out with Mikail (Mandi's head got cut off in the picture... sorry Mandi!!).

We also went to this museum in St. Louis... I'm having pregnancy brain and cannot remember what it's called, but it's really cool has all these tunnels and you can crawl through the ceiling and underground... anyway, Eden was a little too little, but someday it will be a great place to go!

Here is a pic from us from the wedding

And this is just a picture of Eden that I thought was funny!

So there you go. June in a nutshell!!

Love,

Erin

May...

2008-07-24T21:04:00.001-05:00

Let's see... what did we do in May?

Well, my sister in law graduated from nursing school so we went to Bonne Terre for her graduation and graduation party. My mother in law, who is the greatest mother-in-law ever, also turned 50 and let me say she's the hottest 50 year old I've ever seen! After all the parties we took our last day to go to a winery called Crown Valley Winery. It was gorgeous and we had a blast wine tasting. Even Eden got her own little vino glass!! She was so excited.

Grandma Jules got Eden this great t-shirt!! Our little Vino Bambino!

The day after we got home from Missouri Eden was being a little crazy at the kitchen table and slammed her face on the table - hence the HUGE black eye... poor baby.

The 1st official black eye

My baby brother went to his Senior prom. I still can't believe he's going away to college in less than a month. I'm gonna miss that kid. Anyway, here is a pic from prom. He went with his friend Leah.

4 Months... WHOA... April Update in July

2008-07-23T20:56:00.001-05:00

Wow! It's REALLY been a while!! So, since it's been 4 months I will try and catch you up as much as possible a month at a time. Lets go back to March where we left off. We celebrated Easter and found out 2 weeks prior that we were blessed with being pregnant again!

Here we are Easter Sunday

In April we went and saw SWITCHFOOT in concert which is a must if you've never been. We had a blast... well, I had a little more than a blast. Amber, this one's for you... anyway, we went with our friends Lindy and Kyle and the boys didn't want to go down on the floor so we left them behind only to get lost in the moment with Jon Foreman. Well, I must have gotten a little too lost because before I knew it, I was jumping around only to be graced with the presence of a little mishap called "because I'm pregnant I can't jump or else something bad will happen..." And yes it did... I pee-d my pants... Just a little, but needless to say it did happen. Oh well! It was most definitely worth it and it didn't help that Lindy and I were laughing and couldn't stop. Thank you Lord for leading me to the dark jeans I put on that night!

Also in April, Eden figured out how to get in the pantry and got into a box of crackers and stuffed her cheeks full!

Eden couldn't get enough of her Ugg's this day. When I finally took them off her feet they were a sweaty mess!

Here I am 9 weeks pregnant. As of tomorrow, I will be 23 weeks and look a little different! I am sporting a bigger belly these days which Eden points out to me daily!

And on this final day in April, Jarrett was having too much fun with Eden's toys and I'm afraid Eden seemed a little too excited with her new boobies!!

The May update is soon to come and I promise to be better in the future!!

Love,

Erin

Update

2008-05-24T13:33:00.001-05:00

So, I realize it's been forever since I updated the blog. I haven't been doing a very good job at this whole thing!! Sorry to those who read this!! We have been pretty busy around the Reardon household.

We were in Missouri 3 weeks ago for Miciah's graduation from nursing school. Congrats Ciah!! We are so proud of you and had lots of fun... especially meeting Tim! And the most amazing mother-in-law turned 50 so we had a little belated cake party for Jules!! Eden got to see lots of her cousins, aunts, uncles, and her great grandparents... and of course Grandma Jules and Grandpa Marty.

Last weekend we went to the Wisconsin Dells and got to play at Kalahari Waterpark which Eden loved. I got to relax while Jarrett had her in the pools and on all the water rides!

The weather is finally getting nice so we are spending more time outside. I am officially out of my first trimester - 15 weeks to be exact and I really cannot believe it. I kind of feel like there's a little boy inside, but only time will tell!!

Jarrett has Monday off for Memorial Day so we are excited for the long weekend. We are planning on going to IKEA and looking for a big girl bed for Eden!

We love and miss you all.

P.S. Jarrett got a little funny one day and gave Eden little boobies! Hilarious!

Love,

Erin

Much Needed Update

2008-03-25T10:40:00.001-05:00

Wow!! It's been a while! A lot has been going on around our house! We had our trip to Mexico which was amazing. Eden had a blast and absolutely loved the water. If we were there to stop her she would have walked right into the ocean! She now has cabin fever since it's freezing cold here!

Last week Jarrett's aunt's, cousins, and mom came and stayed with us during their Spring Break and we had so much fun! We spent day in the city and spent the night at Hotel Burnham which is a must stay for any Chicago visitor.

Here are some pics.

Enjoy!

Love,

Erin

P.S. I'm Preggers!!

Cute Pics

2008-02-20T23:27:00.002-06:00

Eden's favorite birthday present - her black baby doll

Her 1st Valentines Day

Daddy taking her for a ride in the laundry basket

She now knows how to open the dishwasher

Standing on the Dishwasher

She's 1

2008-02-20T07:38:00.001-06:00

I cannot believe our little bugaboo is 1. A year goes by way too fast. When I think back to what I've done this past year it seems as though all I have done is change diapers, play on the floor, and cook dinner...it's an endless cycle - a wonderful one - but it is so crazy how those things can make a year go by so quickly. Everyone always says, "Enjoy it because it goes by so fast..." Now both Jarrett and I know how true that statement really is. It really makes you appreciate each day for what it is and enjoy the time you are sitting on the floor for countless hours - putting money in a talking pig or playing songs by Tad the frog over and over!

I've learned this year that each day is priceless and so precious. We are so blessed to have a healthy little girl who is so happy about life. We have seen her hit lots of milestones. She has been walking since the end of her tenth month and has only gotten faster! She says daddy, baby, and duckie - she still will not say mommy. She used too, but she has stopped. If you point to me and say mommy, she will just smile and say, "daddy!!"

We are leaving Thursday for a much needed get-a-way to Mexico. Jarrett has been extremely busy - working hard to get his Master's Degree and working 40 plus hours a week - so some time off in the sand and sun sounds wonderful!!

Here are some recent pics of our boo!

Blessings.

Love,

Erin

Mission Accomplished

2008-02-11T13:19:00.001-06:00

Eden's 1st birthday party was a huge success! We had a blast and I think everyone else did as well (especially my mother in law) I love you Jules!!! We had her party at Starved Rock Lodge in Utica, IL. It was so beautiful and a fun place to be during the winter. Everything turned out great including the cake and balloons (thank you Lord!). Eden received lots of wonderful gifts and a BIG thank you to everyone who came. She enjoyed her cake, but did nothing crazy. Here are some pics. Enjoy!

Also, a Happy 50th Birthday to Grandpa Marty!!

Love,

Erin

The Reardon Side Of The Family

The Reardon Adventures

::A Day Back In October::

::Crazy Love::

Ecuador

RADICAL:: Part 2

RADICAL

A New Year:: Probe Your Heart

Today Is The Day

Will you be ONE?

ONE Reason To Get Back to Blogging

Museum Glory

Is It Summer Yet?

Husband + Hillsong = PERFECT Night

Two More...

Answered Prayer

A Bump In The Road

Passionate

Read More Books

10 Questions To Ask In The New Year

"Help Find Joe Houston"

CaLIFORNIA Video!

CALIFORNIA!~

A Halloween Preview

What We've Been Up To

Am I Dreaming...

HELP!

James McDonald

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Birthday Jules and a Message for Titus

EASTER '09

A Tribute to 1640 Rue Martel Bonne Terre, MO

Teeth

The Dirty Dozen

A Little Uriah

Cayenne, Frankincense, & Hormone Cream

Eden's 2nd Birthday

Mimi's

A Beautiful Wedding - A Not So Beautiful Car Ride Home

Catch up and the events of September

Snow And A Baby

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Erin's homebirth: Take 2

Baby Update!

August...

July...

Baby News

June...

May...

4 Months... WHOA... April Update in July

Update

Much Needed Update

Cute Pics

She's 1

Mission Accomplished