Owen Daniel

I would like to introduce you to my son,

Owen Daniel Horning.

Born on March 17, 2013 at 12:52am. He was 8lbs 8oz and 20.5" long. 

Owen is such a dream. He is a wonderful addition to our family. Ava & Olive are so in love with their new little brother, They run to his side whenever he cries and shower him with hugs and kisses all day long. My delivery of Owen was a whole new experience for me. Even though he is my third child, he is my first one to be delivered with no medication to induce labor. Both of the girls were induced and I had an epidural. I labored for 12 hours with Ava and for 6 With Olive. My prayer throughout this third pregnancy was that God would let me experience labor on my own and I wouldn't have to be induced. I wanted to know that my body could do it on its own. And here is how the story goes...

The two weeks leading up to Owen's birth were spent cleaning, organizing, gardening, cooking, and doing anything else that would keep me busy. As my due date began to creep closer my mind would wonder to places of defeat and frustration, I had already given into the idea that I was going to be induced. My hearts cry to God was that I would go into labor on my own and I would pray every day that He would let it happen. Every night when Daniel would rub my feet I would pour my heart out to him and try my hardest to better explain my desire. I felt silly wanting labor so badly. I knew that either way I would end up with a sweet new baby and that I would labor for hours whether with Pitocin or without. 

There was a particular verse that I would say in my mind whenever I would pray about it. " For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) I would meditate on that verse and try to remind myself that God knew exactly how he wanted Owen to come into this world. 

On Saturday March 16, (One week and one day before my due date) my parents came over to help us get some house projects done. Daniel built a fence in the front yard, my dad did some electrical work, I organized in the house, and my mom gardened. At one point in the early afternoon I went out front to see how everyone was doing and sat down on our walk way. As I talked with my mom I began weeding in between some of the Paver Stones lining our walk way. It was really awkward and uncomfortable to lean over my giant belly and get down to those weeds, and I remember looking up at my mom and sarcastically saying, "Well, if this doesn't put me into labor than nothing will!" Little did I know, I was only hours away from the beginnings of labor. 

As late afternoon came around and we had all showered and cleaned up from the days work I was beginning to notice that I was "cramping". They would come and go and were getting stronger each time. I thought it might be labor, so I quietly packed mine and Daniel's bag for the hospital. We went to my parents house for dinner at 5:30pm and I had a good friend who was visiting from out of town stop by to say Hi. As time went on at my parents and the "cramping" continued and intensified I began to wonder if I was indeed in labor. Around 6:30pm I was contracting every 10 minutes. I told my mom what I was feeling and asked if she thought I was in labor. Her response, "Maybe?" Gee, thanks Ma! I was hoping for a little more affirmation. But in the next 45 minutes sitting outside it was evident that the time had come! Daniel and I took our girls home and did their normal bedtime routine, with occasional breaks for me leaning against a wall or dresser trying to breath. We got the girls in bed and I began to gather last minute things and clean the house. Although, looking back I wasn't really cleaning, I was just carrying things around and setting them down somewhere else. My contractions were about 7 minutes apart and getting more intense. Even during contractions I was trying to talk myself out of labor. I was so worried that it was just a false alarm and my contractions would stop. I didn't want to get my hopes up. Around 9:15pm as I was laying down I had a contraction that made me realize it was "go time". I looked at Daniel and told him it was time to go. We excitedly scrambled to get stuff together, my parents came to stay with the girls, and off we went to have our son.

Once arriving at the hospital they took me to what they call the "Prove It" room, where they check to see if you're actually in labor. I was at 7cm. Go time!!!! They put in an IV and rushed me off to a labor and delivery room. After getting situated in our room and finishing all our paperwork around 10:30pm my nurse came in and asked if I wanted an epidural. And there it was, the million dollar question! I hadn't decided if I wanted one or not. I knew I wanted one if I had to be induced, but to my surprise I went into labor on my own. I turned to Daniel and asked him what I should do and he lovingly said that it was up to me. I looked at my nurse and told her I wanted to wait and see how far I could make it on my own.... Little did I know there was no turning back!

My contractions intensified quickly. In between contraction my nurse repeatedly complimented Daniel on his glorious beard and reminded me while in pain more than once that I had a hot husband... It was funny, but very true! By 11:15 I was doing the crazy lady moaning with each contraction. I remember looking up at Daniel and the nurse Jewel and apologizing for being one of those weird ladies you see in the birthing videos. They both laughed. By 12am I thought the world was going to end. My contractions were so intense and so close together I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. They lasted for over a minute but were only 45 seconds apart. It got real crazy real fast. In those last 52 minutes of labor, when I was at my weakest, in the most pain of my life, I leaned on Daniel for physical and emotional support. He was incredibly kind and reassuring in the moments when I felt like I couldn't go on. He reminded me that if I could just keep going I would get to hold my son. He was right, and it was so worth it. At 12:52am Owen Daniel was born. He was perfect. 

Daniel and I don't name our children until after they are born because we want to see them first. Naming our son was the most difficult of our three children, but so special for me. I knew I wanted him to have Daniel's name, because of how wonderful he was to me during my labor and delivery. 

Owen means "Well Born" and Daniel means "God is my judge".

I didn't plan on it and I don't know if I could do it again, but having a natural delivery was an incredible experience. Being that aware of what is going on is both excruciating and invigorating. Owen's birth story is unique and new to me and I wouldn't change it.

Grace & Peace

Benched Player

I started reading through Acts recently and in the first chapter something stuck out and I haven't been able to shake it. In Verse 12 it tells the story of finding a replacement for Judas. Verse 21 is where it gets interesting

I had to read it a few times to sink in. But what they are doing is looking for someone to replace Judas that has been with them the whole time. The WHOLE time. From the time John was baptised to the time Jesus ascended back into heaven. They ended up picking Matthias.... He was a benched player! Matthias was there the whole time, he saw all the miracles Jesus performed. He heard all of Jesus' teachings! But he was never one of "The 12". Then, after all that time of following Jesus and seeing all those signs and wonders Matthias gets called up into the Big Leagues!! He is one of "The 12"! So here is the thing, Matthias put in the work. He put in the time. The discipline of following someone he believed in without receiving anything in return! He went to every "practice" and sat on the bench handing the team water, hoping that there would be a time he could get in the game. Then his time came. He was ready to be called into the Big leagues because he put in the time needed before hand. 

Conviction hit. Lord, how often am I upset because I feel like I didn't get the recognition I deserved. Or how often do I feel entitled to something just because I have served in the past? God, fix my heart! Help me to learn that without spending time seeking you and preparing my heart I will never be ready to do big things for you! 

It's a scary thing to ask God to teach me something. I never know how that's going to play out... But I know God is showing me this because it is something he needs to teach me. So Lord, prepare my heart for the lesson you need to teach. Help me be ready to receive it and put it into action in my faith.


Grace & Peace

Thankful

This morning started out a bit crazy. Our girls are early risers. Like, 6am early risers. So today, when they slept in until 7:11am Daniel and I were both blessed and crazy confused. Up we went to greet the morning. Our Olive Grace wakes up every day asking for breakfast, she is ready to get down to business! Daniel made her three, yes I said three, scrambled eggs. (Girl can eat!) Ava then decided she was ready for breakfast, cereal and milk for her. Daniel made coffee. Thank you Lord! After Olive ate most of her eggs she asked for more, she wanted what sissy had. She ate a small bowl of cereal as well. All the while the clock is ticking, Daniel had 6 minutes until he needed to be at work and we haven't even poured our coffee yet. A perk to waking up early is that we don't have to hustle through our morning. We can enjoy each other, eating breakfast together, asking each other how we slept, but most importantly I share coffee with my Beloved. As Daniel ran to get dressed I poured his coffee into a to go cup and mine into my favorite mug. Kisses for all and off Daddy ran to work. Within the first 35 minutes of Daniel being at work I accumulated a pile of laundry larger then any basket could contain, a messy kitchen, a pile of cloth diapers that needed washing, an insane dog that was trying to eat his tail, and my sweet Olive had dumped my coffee all over the floor...

Needless to say, I felt defeated by today at 9am. But then, the Lord did something. He reminded me of something greater then coffee. More pressing than the pile of laundry needing to be folded. I am Blessed. I looked at my sweet girls and was overwhelmed by there beauty and joy. And my precious husband came home to give me his coffee. I didn't take it... because I love him more. ;) 

So today, even though we had a rough start, I am blessed and Thankful for the gorgeousness that is my life. My ridiculously handsome husband. And my precious daughters. Thanks Lord. 

Grace & Peace

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit. It's something you hear spoken about on the regular at Church. Or by your parents. Or in songs. But what is it? What does it mean for me? How is it something I am able to attain?

  The past few weeks I have thought over this topic repetitively. Reading scripture, praying, and trying to just wrap my head around it. The crazy thing is, my whole life prior to the past few weeks I've never thought twice about the Holy Spirit. It's like, " Can you please pass the Ketchup. Oh yea, the Holy Spirit, it's part of the trinity." Ok, maybe not in that order. But none the less, it has been a well comprehended biblical aspect my whole life. For some reason though, as of late, It isn't good enough to just know it's there. To just have this power sitting in my pocket and not doing anything with it. I'll just go to battle and bring a bazooka, but put it in my pocket and not use it. I would prefer to fight with a harmonica. What?!? That's so dumb. It's there. It's real. And it's unused.

  Being a worship leader I "feel" the spirit often. I quoted the word feel because It's not a feeling like when you high five someone and there is tangible touch, it's more of a sway in my soul that feels different. I know I'm not making a lot of sense now. Moving on.... Feeling the spirit in the room while leading worship or when praying is awesome but not what I'm searching for. I know the Lord is with me. Present in my life always. I know he is around. What I am searching for is how do I attain the Spirit of the Lord....

   Here is what I think God is showing me-
  In the new testament when It talks about tongues of fire falling down on the heads of the disciples, it says they were "filled" with the Holy Spirit. Meaning, it was dwelling in them. It being, The Holy Spirit. Say What?!? They were all sitting together waiting on the Lord to do something and He filled them with his Spirit. Ok, so how do I get it? Is there a line? Like at the post office when you walk in and grab a number? "Excuse me sir, I think I was here first..." So as I am reading over this story and wondering how to get it I feel like the Lord told me something big. "Is there room for me in your spirit?" I sat there for a minute wondering if there was, until I realized there wasn't. My spirit was full of worry, pride, selfishness, and contentment. I had been praying for the Holy Spirit to fill me and move in me like He did with the disciples but I wasn't giving God room to do it. My Spirit needs to be ready for him. I need to regularly check and clear out my spirit so that there is room for the Lord to fill me. To use me.

Lazy Saturday

   Well, It's Saturday night, the girls are in bed and the house is quiet. Best feeling ever. Daniel and I were just talking the other day about the sense of peace that just lands on us once we know the girls are asleep. Just knowing they're warm, happy, and resting feels so good.

   Today was an incredible day. Ava woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:15 this morning... and we were dragging. Hallelujah for Coffee! One of my good friends Josh came over this morning and took some pictures of us just living life. Let me just say I am usually very uncomfortable getting my picture taken, but when the person taking it is your best friend from grade school it is a lot easier! It was awesome to have Josh spend the morning with us. Go take a peek at his blog (http://blogallgoodness.com) and see just how awesome he is. Here is a photo Daniel snapped while Josh was here this morning. He and Ava became fast friends.

   All in all, I would chalk today up as a win. We got some awesome family time today. Thank you stormy weather! Usually when Saturday rolls its lazy self around we are consumed with projects and chores that suck the minutes out of our hands. Such a bummer. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE doing projects and making our home exactly how we want it, but sometimes it's nice to have a breather. I can't tell you how often Daniel and I will look at each other on a Sunday night and say, " Where did the weekend go?" It was so windy and chilly outside today we were forced to batten down the hatches and hang out inside. It. Was. Awesome. Just look at them... Seriously. The cutest ever. 

And real quick, Veggie update! They are officially planted in there raised beds. However, the day after I planted them we had a mad crazy wind storm that beat them up. I lost a few, and am still nursing the rest back to life. But we are hopeful that they will flourish!

Grace & Peace

Life Lately

   Our little Oli Boli has a very fun new trick. She is starting to sit up on her own! Yay Olive! Daniel and I were trying to remember when Ava started doing this, but couldn't remember. There are a lot of milestones! Haha! I think Olive just wants to play with her sissy. And Ava LOVES that Oli is starting to sit up, she also loves to cheer Oli on when she does it. It's pretty funny to watch.

I mean, come on... Look at that cute chunky baby! I just want to squeeze her! I am so in love with Olive's joy. She is the happiest girl in the world. I just took her to the Doctor yesterday because she has been sick and seemed to be getting worse, and the Doctor told me she had a double ear infection! So sad! But even though she is sick, she still loves life. She is full of joy. 

   Ava is learning new things at the speed of light! I feel like I can't keep up with all the new things she is absorbing! She remembers things from months ago and brings them up in conversation. For instance, when we were down in San Diego last November my sister in law Jen gave Ava and her daughter Zoe a little princess lip gloss/make-up thing. And yesterday as I was getting ready for Church Ava wanted to wear some of my make-up, but I said she was too little. She looked up at me and said, " But I can wear my princess make-up at Zoe's house." Say what?!?!? It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about since I had forgotten all about it. She is so smart. I love my little one. 

   I took this picture of Ava when we were enjoying a gorgeous spring-ish day in our back yard. It makes me swoon every time I see it. I can't believe how big she is! Tear..... Ok, Ok, enough sappy Mom stuff!  

   I have been itching to do some fun new stuff to our house, So i painted out dining room table. I like how it came out, but I still have more to do.

   We also painted our bedroom a Burgandy, red-sh, purple-ish color. Just one wall. We're going for a morrocan eclectic feel in our bedroom. I'll share pictures when it's all done. 

   We also started our garden. Daniel built me 2 of my 4 raised beds this weekend and I am going to start planting this week! 

So far I have, Scallions, Butterleaf lettuce, Spinach, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Carrots (from seeds), and Artichoke. When I get the other boxes I want to have Zucchini as well. I can't wait! We're planning a whole garden retreat area that I will show more in detail in the next post! But until then,

Grace & Peace

I love food.

   To say that I love food would be an understatement.. I am IN love with food. Food brings people together, makes you happy, is necessary for life, and it is so much fun to make new delicious things. Which is exactly what I did this morning. I was feeling super sluggish, so I wanted to pack a punch in my breakfast and here is what I came up with...

   Meet my delicious Spinach, Onion, Gouda, and egg white breakfast wrap. De-lish! It is so easy to whip up, here's what you need:

- 1/4 c. Egg Whites

- 1/4 c. Frozen Chopped Spinach

- 1/4 c. Chopped Onion

- Light gradeing of Gouda cheese

- Whole Wheat Tortilla

   I try to keep my freezer stocked with frozen veggies. I've heard that frozen veggies pack more nutrients because they are picked at their peak of freshness. So grab your frozen spinach and toss it in a pan with a few tablespoons of Olive Oil. Then add in your onions. Let the onions saute while the spinach softens and breaks apart. Once the spinach and Onion are done add in your egg whites. Salt and Pepper to taste. Warm your tortilla then put your egg mixture in it. Grate a small amount of the cheese right on top of the eggs and the cheese will melt. I add some Cholulah on top as well for a little kick. If you don't want the carbs from the tortilla slice some fresh tomatoes and put them on top of your eggs instead. Super tasty alternative. I love the cold tomatoes on top of the warm eggs. 

    Hope you enjoy!