IT'S A.....

Baby Daukas #4 is a girl. A healthy little girl. It took me by surprise as I've been convinced it was a boy for the past couple of months. The first trimester I got a bunch of migraines and the only time I've ever got a migraine while pregnant was with Trevor. Then, at my 15 week appointment, the heart rate was at 148. My girls were always in the high 150's. Except for Trevor who hung out in the 140's, low 150's. So take all of that, combined with my desire for Trevor to have a little brother, and it was a boy! I just knew it. I didn't need the ultrasound.

We took all three with us to my ultrasound appointment. They were so cute and super excited. Originally we had brought in my journal and asked my dr. to not tell us but to just write it secertly in the journal. We were going to take the kids out to breakfast after the appointment and find out together as Chris told us the news. It was a great plan. Apparently we didn't make that clear enough to her. She asked Trevor if he wanted to squirt the jelly on my belly. He thought that was pretty cool. Instantly the kids begin asking, "is it a boy or girl? Is it a boy or girl?" I don't think they got our plan either. She mentioned something like, "Well lets take a look cause that's really why you're all are here!" That should've been my cue to remind her... but it was to late. The words "It's most definitely a girl!" came out before we could stop her. I held back tears. Still not sure why. It could've been cause she messed up my perfect plan, or maybe it was Trevor's "ah man" or maybe, for just a split second, I was ever so slightly disappointed.

She quickly moved on from there to check the heart and the four chambers. She let the kids listen a couple of times to her, still at 148, heartbeat. What a peaceful sound those babies heartbeats are in the womb. We looked at her perfectly forming spine. She focused in on her face and we saw her lift her hand with five fingers up to her head. Then as if she was looking right at us, she yawned. It was truly amazing! No disappointment at all. Just wonder at the miracle of life, gratefulness and a heightened eagerness to meet my new daughter!

Yarn Pom Poms

I've started collecting ideas for things to do with the kids this summer. Taylor has shown interest in knitting, sewing, all things her mother isn't good at :)

Here's something I stumbled upon at The Creative Mama that I might actually be able to pull off!


The Creative Mama- Yarn Pom Poms in a new way!

PE Days

The school year is finishing up. Well for some people I guess. I've learned that it's common in the homeschool world to continue some subjects into the summer. We'll be doing a little math through June & finishing up our history as well. But for the most part we'll join the rest of the world in taking a summer break.

As we conclude the year Trevor & Rylee can count to 100! Trevor is reading but rather not. He loves math & science. He could watch seeds grow and do different experiments all day long. And Rylee, who's just tagged along all year, surprised me the other day by reading a few words out of a Bob book on her own. Both are growing in writing as well.

Taylor, she's still bright as ever and constantly challenges me with her questions.

This year we joined a PE group that took place on friday afternoons. It was a great place for the kids to get all their energy out, learn the basics of sports and good sportsmanship and I was able to make some new friends too :) Each month was a different sport. Hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball and of course water games in May.

We had our end of the year party last friday. I got my first taste of 100 degree weather pregnant. God help me :) Anyway here's some pictures of the kids in PE throughout the year!







Rylee made a new friend. These girls are like long lost sisters. When Rylee's hair was long they looked like they could be twins. The two played on the swings & the playground while their older siblings did PE. But by the end of the year they began to join in and "do" PE with the older kids.

Happy Moralist or Sad Moralist?

I've read a ton of good books lately! It's far time I start putting some of them up on the blog. One I've been reading is Counsel from the Cross. It's really challenged me in just how gospel centered am I? In chapter six she opens with painting two different types of churches that produce two different type of people. I can say I've been both at one point in my life.

"Further, in a strangely convoluted desire to reach the unchurched, many churches have mimicked in their ministries the world's emphases on amusement. Skits, comic sermons, and featherweight vignette masquerade as truth, while the souls of "seekers" thirst for a drink of the living water and wonder if this is really all there is. We think it would be safe to say that many people who attend this kind of church may be categorized as Happy Moralists."

"On the other hand, there is also a vibrant through sober church that can be identified as serious and disdainful of the airier versions of church-lite. This church is truth-driven and assumes that there are serious realities, particularly about sin and obligation, that must be taken to heart and pondered by "the elect" We think it would be safe to assume that we'd find the Sad Moralist here."

She goes on to explain how even though different they are the same in one area. They both lack the understanding of the gospel and are missing certain aspects of applying the gospel.

"The Happy Moralist needs to be humbled by a clear view of his laxity and self-love. The Sad Moralist needs to be humbled by the discovery that even his self-righteousness and self-loathing are symptoms of a heart to proud to abandon it's self-reliance and surrender to the grace of Christ. And both also need to see themselves as loved and welcomed".

"There's another facet of the gospel that's missing... neither lives in the joy that is to be their strength. The Happy Moralist won't have the impetus to put down the remote and follow hard after God. The Sad Moralist will feel burdened by his sin and estranged from the God who commands joy at his presence. Rejoice? About What? Is this something else I need to feel guilty about? he might wonder."

Elyse then goes on to explain sanctification and what she means by Gospel Sanctification.

"Although all Christians want to grow in godliness many of us miss the truth that the gospel is as necessary to our sanctification as it was to our initial justification. Without the gospel drenching our soul in our union with Christ, the quest for moral improvement becomes just that: another quest for self-improvement doomed to futile failure or, worse, arrogant success. But in light of the gospel, because of all that Jesus has already done, sanctification becomes another sweet evidence of his grace working in us, making us more and more delighted by his abiding presence and less and less enamored with the world's enticements. Only the extravagant love shown us in the gospel has the power to draw us away from other loves."

This book is filled with rich Gospel truth. With chapter titles like "The Gospel and our emotions" and "The Gospel and our Relationships" it's a book that I am sure I will re-read and reference often. I love Elyse's mantra that I've heard at her conferences and read in her books "Remember what the gospel says about us: we are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe but we are also more loved and welcomed than we ever dared hope."

Celebrating 10 at Disney World

Chris and I just returned from a 6 day trip to Walt Disney World. This time we didn't take the kids. Our 10 year anniversary is in July and we've been talking all year about how to celebrate. Typically for an anniversary we go away for a night and do nothing. Absolutely nothing. We both love it and find it a welcome change to the typical pace of our lives. But this year we agreed, being the big 10, it would be fun to do something, more then nothing. Having just moved we were a little strapped for cash. So my Hawaii tropical dreams were pushed aside. We did have 2 free Southwest tickets to anywhere in the US! Free flights help on a low budget :) We tossed around different states but kept coming back to how much fun we had at Disney World when we took the kids a couple years ago. One night Chris' parents watched the kids for us and we went to Magic Kingdom with Chris' brother & wife for a double date. It was a blast and we swore if we ever had the chance to return just the two of us we would! Disney was running a special for the times we were looking to go making it a low cost trip.

In the midst of all this planning we found out I was pregnant. Originally we had settled on going in the fall but God had other plans for us in the fall. So the beginning of May it was. The trip came at a perfect place in this pregnancy. I had just gotten over the morning sickness and was still not showing.

Now for some pictures... I should say that before I post these pictures that I chose not to bring my expensive camera for this trip. For the most part I think that was the right call. Occasionally I had wished otherwise but it was super hot & humid and I was grateful not to have a heavy camera around my neck. So most of these pictures are from Chris' iphone or my parents click and go camera!



One of our favorite rides was the Toy Story ride in Hollywood Studio's. Chris and I are just a little competitive so a lot was riding on who won this ride.


I knew I would lose. After 10 years I've learned :)


When we checked in they gave us some Happy Anniversary pins. The theme for Disney this year is "Celebrate". The question they pose everywhere is "What will you celebrate?" I talked Chris into wearing the pin on his black bag he was carrying with our waters and food. I wore mine on my purse. We're not to cool for pins. I also thought we'd get free stuff if we wore them. I was right. We scored a number of free fast passes from workers who saw the pins :)


One of my goals for this trip was to take a vacation away from life. Particularly for Chris. With church planting his mind is always going about church stuff, ministry ideas, philosophies ect. Disney is the perfect place to retreat away. After a day or two the parks really suck you into their worlds. The biggest stress of the day becomes what to fast pass first. Should we fast pass Soarin' then walk to Test Track or fast pass Test Track then walk to Soarin? Even those stresses we conquered. Chris went to get a fast pass to Test Track while I stood in line for Soarin. After we rode Soarin we were able to fast pass something else. So we grabbed a Soarin' fp and went and used our Test Track fp. We've got the Disney system down :) I think it brought my husband great joy to have a strategy and see it perfectly executed!

While we were in line at Soarin' Chris says... that looks like Glen up there (Glen and Chris were on the Pastoral team together in Gilbert.) A day earlier we ran into a pastor friend and his wife from Maryland while in line for a ride. It was crazy. I told Chris that he was just seeing things now that we've already seen someone we know. After riding Soarin' I went to the bathroom, I place I frequented a lot unfortunately being pregnant, and lo and behold there was Rebekah, Glen's wife!! What a small world :)


One of the coolest things at Epoct was their garden! Innovative, cutting edge ideas, all thrown into gardening!




Also going on at Epcot was a festival of flowers. They had different disney characters created with bushes & flowers all throughout the park. It was impressive.


All in all we had such a great time together celebrating our marriage! I love this man more than anything! I'm so grateful for all the people/family who took our kids making this memorable trip possible. I'd also like to thank our kids who never once said "You're going to Disney World without us?!?!" I think that speaks to their excitement over who they were staying with :)






The last day Chris talked me into trying out for the American Idol experience. I think that's better left to a post in and of itself.


Thank you Love for all your hard work in putting this trip together for us! You were the one who made sure this happened! Eager to let me know that our marriage and God's grace to us for giving us 10 beautiful years together, is something worth celebrating!

Ice Skating

Last week I took the kids ice skating for the first time with some friends for a field trip! I was all ready to skate myself when Chris reminded me the morning before we left that I was pregnant and that might not be the smartest thing to do. Ha. I forget some days.

So I threw the skates on the kids and pushed em' out there :) I was thankful for some of my friends older kids who took mine under their wing. It was very sweet and I wasn't quite sure how it would all work out if I wasn't out there with them. Taylor was the only one that towards the end had it almost figured out. I think it awoke in her the desire that every little girl has once in their life to be a figure ice skater :)