Sarah Elizabeth Joy

And excited "new big brother" with his baby sister the morning after she was born.  He is telling everyone, "I am a new brother now!"  

Sarah took her sweet time coming to us!  She was due on September 22, but didn't arrive until the early hours of October 4.  We joke that she wanted to be part of the October birthday crew!  Now more than half of our children have birthdays in October!  Crazy!  I guess I am quite fertile in January!
    Now back to Sarah's story... A few days before the due date, Sarah flipped to a posterior position, which means she was facing forward instead of backward.  Posterior births are possible, but often slower and more painful, so I was really praying and experimenting with different techniques to try to get her to turn. As the days kept slowly moving past, I began to relax and release it all to God for His timing!  Still, she waited.  In the early days of October, she did in fact turn, and then I began to really anticipate her arrival at any moment.  Finally on Thursday morning, I began to feel the familiar tightening in the tummy that told me something was happening.  As the hours passed, I was sure that the sporadic contractions were the beginning of labor, so we began to prepare for our baby girl's arrival.    For the first time ever, we had friends present for the birth: my good friend Della and her two girls and a young, newly married friend who was so excited and curious to experience a natural homebirth.  So about 9pm, the midwife and her assistant had their equipment set up and our friends arrived, all anxious for a baby to arrive.  And still the early labor drug on!  David and I walked around the neighborhood late into the evening, we sat around talking, I even got into the birthing tub for a short time, and still the contractions were mild and irregular.  About 11:30, the midwife, thinking there was too much activity for me to really relax and let the labor process progress, suggested we all go to bed and rest a bit.  So we found places for everyone to rest, and David and I went to bed.  It was impossible to sleep while having contractions, but it was nice to rest, and David got a bit of sleep.  And she was right!  As I rested, the contractions got stronger and stronger.  Sometime after 1am (wasn't really watching the clock), I got into the birthing tub, while David brought pot after pot of hot water to try and warm the water that had cooled from sitting there for several hours.
    Now the labor began in earnest!!  Focus, relax, breathe, wait, and do it all over again.  But not too many times, because sooner than I, or even the midwife and her assistant expected, Sarah was ready to enter this world.  Finally, David joined me in the pool as I began to push.  One push to get her down, two to get her head out and the third to usher her into her daddy's waiting arms.  He pulled her out of the water and into my arms!  And the newborn wails, and mama sighs and rejoices, and daddy beams! What a miracle!  Everytime.  Number 7 is no less spectacular than number 1. The girls and our friends all poured in excitedly to see the miracle I am holding in my arms.  We rejoiced together.  Then Sarah and I moved to the bed for clean up, cutting the cord, weighing and measuring the baby, nursing, and SLEEP!  However, sleep was a long time in coming, as I kept bleeding and lost a good bit of blood. After a scary hour or so, the bleeding slowed, the midwife breathed easier, and I was finally able to sleep about 6:30am.
    I have rested and given my body more time to recover this time than any other pregnancy.  David was a huge help with the kids and housework, while I rested.  I wasn't allowed out of my bed for the first 12-15 hours, then I stayed in my room for another day or so. After that, I began to move about the house slowly!  A friend organized evening meals for us, which has been a huge blessing!  My parents came for a week and were a big help and nice company!
Now three weeks later, I feel stronger and have energy for everyday life.  We even started back to school this week with a lighter work load.  Sarah is doing great!  Eating well, sleeping well (!!), and just as cute as can be!  How amazing that God has entrusted us with another of His children!

Still in the birthing pool.  Sarah is just minutes old!

Rachel and her friend Aerelle enjoy the newborn baby.

Micah and Silas (in the Star Wars shirt) admiring Sarah

Summer Fun

David took all of the kids out for a special "daddy" time.  He took the girls out to a nice restaurant and the boys on an "adventure" like kayaking or hiking.  This is obviously Rachel's night.

We had a new pool this summer that was a hit for our kids and also for the neighbor kids!  Here is Silas floating.  

For Silas's birthday day we had a Star Wars dress up party.  Here is most of the Trimble family in their costumes.  Abby and Micah are on the ends as storm troopers, Silas and Nathanael are in the center as jedi padawan, Keenan is Han Solo, Rachel is some obscure person named Mara Jade, and Abby forced mom to to dress as Padme when she was pregnant. :)

This is Abby's turn to go on a date with Daddy.

Like several previous summers, the 4 oldest kids participated in the Bible musicals directed by a local church.  They are fantastically done and the kids really love to do it.  The girls were in Saul the musical and the boys were in David.  This is Keenan as one of Jesse's sons.  He was trying to steal the show!  He is an enthusiastic actor.

After the rigorous schedule of the musicals, we were able to get away to the beach for a few days.  It was so, so nice to get away and rest!  I was 36 weeks pregnant, but was very thankful that we went!  Here are Micah and Nathanael digging together.

David's birthday was our last day at the beach.  The kids talked him into going to Krispy Kreme for his birthday in exchange for a birthday dance from Abby and Micah.  It was so creative.  Wish you could have seen it!

Our last day, the beach was invaded by jelly fish.  First we found this one as it washed up on the shore.  Notice that there is a crab attached to the tentacles of the jelly fish.  We marveled at it for a while, trying to determine who was eating whom.  Not too much later, Abby was stung by a jelly fish.  So sad!  Then several others swimming nearby were also stung.  We decided to spend our last few minutes swimming in the pool instead.

My beautiful girls after a friend's wedding!

Keenan and Dad after he received his award for completing his Awana book.  

Receiving a Little Child

"Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but Him who sent me."  Mark 9:37

Well, it is time again in the Trimble home to welcome a new baby!  For those who do not know, I am now almost half-way through the carrying of our 7th child!  Wow!  I was a bit surprised at how overwhelmed I felt about it, but God has been so good to encourage me and speak to me about it!  I am so thankful for the goodness and faithfulness of my Father!  He has very clearly told me that now is the time for work and that rest will come and my work for now is to be mommy to all these little ones he is giving!  And I am to work like Paul, "striving according to all his working which works in me mightily." (Col 1)  My strength is little, but His is infinite!  And so as we receive this little one into our family, Jesus says we are receiving him and the Father!  Wow, what a beautiful thought!

Pictures to come soon!!  Hopefully later today!

Victory in Jesus!

The following was written on Saturday, but I didn't get to proof-read it until now.  Here are some of my Easter thoughts.

     Once, long ago in the story of our Savior, this was a dark night, as the disciples tried to make sense of all that had happened!  Jesus, our messiah is dead!  How can that be?  And what do we do now?  And what of all those words he spoke that last night we were together.  I am going to my Father and you know the way and I am the Way and I will come back for you and I will send you the Helper.  So much not understood, but they endured the dark night, and were witness to the greatest victory, the greatest joy in all history!
     Early in the morning, the grieving ladies went to finish the burial preparations to find an empty tomb and hear the thrilling words, "He is not here! He is risen, just like he said!!"  What an echo that must have made in the universe!  He is ALIVE!!!  And not the 'alive, but still going to die' kind of alive!  The 'alive forevermore, conquerer of death' kind of Alive.  Never before in history had such a thing happened!  But never before had there been such a man as Jesus!
     As I pondered these and many other thoughts last night at the House of Prayer's Good Friday worship time, I was overwhelmed again at the magnitude of the sacrifice and at the depth of love that was and is lavished on humans in the act of Jesus's death on the cross.
     I also got a new understanding of His work on my behalf and of my place before God.  Jesus had the ultimate victory! He overcame!  And because he overcame, I also am an overcomer!  He leads me in triumph, in victory!  My success, my victorious life comes as I abide in Christ, trusting in the complete work of the cross and in His resurrection!  It is not about what I do or how good I do it!  It is not about me getting it right all of the time!  It is about me resting in His work, walking in faith and obedience.
     Sometimes I get so focused on my attitude, my own perceived success or failure at a certain task, my emotions, etc... and then it becomes about how good I am or how strong or how talented, etc... very self focused!   When in reality, I am wretched, poor, blind, unable to do one thing to help or save myself or anyone else!  I can do nothing on my own, but abiding in Christ, I can bear much fruit and live in victory!!

Queen For the Night

This January, David and I celebrated our 15th anniversary in royal style!  I think for the first time ever, he secretly planned the getaway and, wow, did he surprise me!  The only thing that would have made it better is if we would have both been healthy.  Neither of us were feeling well, so we had a very relaxing time away!  Oh, I guess I should let you in on the surprise.  He took me to the Castle.  This is a local landmark and source of much discussion.  I found out the night we stayed that the sad rumor that was spread about its origin and subsequent emptiness was, in fact, true.  After his wife fell in love with the castles of England on a vacation, a builder planned and started the building of a real castle in a town not far from here.  Sadly, however, before the construction was complete the couple divorced.  So the castle was left unfinished but looming beautifully over the horse farms.  About 10 years ago, the owner finally decided to sell it, and the new owner began its completion.  Finally, 4 years ago, it opened as a bed and breakfast.  As many of you know, I really like old houses, including castles, and the history and beauty to be found inside them.  I even have a strange fascination with abandoned houses.  But that is for a different blog.  Anyway, we have driven by that castle dozens of times each year that we have lived in KY.  And I have always admired it and wondered what it was like on the inside.  However, I have a good idea how much it costs to stay in this rather unusual bed and breakfast, so I thought I would just drive by and admire it from the outside... forever!  Not so!  My sweet husband decided that it was time that I got to be a Kentucky queen for a night!  So, "Happy Anniversary to me, happy anniversary to me..."

Happily married, though slightly under the weather, standing in front of the Castle walls on a cold  January afternoon.

This is inside the gate.  The turret to the left middle window was part of our suite. 

This is our room.  Because we were the only guests for the night, we were upgraded to this 2nd best room in the whole castle.  I really was queen for the night!

This is taken from the balcony right outside our door.  The interior was more like a palace, beautifully and ornately decorated.

This is the grand ballroom.  

This is the table in the dining room where we had a delicious breakfast.