Hello All! I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and is looking forward to celebrating 2008. I haven't posted in awhile, but life is somewhat busier now. Great, but busy!!!! Yesterday we excitedly welcomed a 2003"pre-owned" Chevy Express passenger van into our family. Yes, now we have room to spare. With the addition of Hope and all her paraphernalia we had outgrown the mini-van. So now we are blessed to have room to spare, especially since we hope to adopt again. Now if you see us on the road we will be the family stopping frequently for gasoline. We know that for many people we have a large family already. We wouldn't trade one of these guys for the world. God has been good to us and has taught us so much with each new addition to our family. Kelly and I laugh when we remember our newly married days. We often say to one another " We thought we were busy than?!" We wouldn't have it any other way. We are often tired, but laughing. What more could one want in life than a van load of God's blessings and much laughter? I'll see you on the road, please give me a wide berth ; ) Love, Crystal

Hello All! I am sorry it has been some time from my last post. We have been busy enjoying Hope and celebrating the Christmas season. I wanted to add our photo taken today for our Christmas card. Our Christmas card will be late this year : ) Better late than never, right? So here is the Briden family, now six.






We took many, many, many pictures to find the best one. Here is a picture of Mommy and her girls. I am so excited for all the "Chick Flicks" and days at the Spa. Daddy and Luke are definitely outnumbered now. God willing, it won't be long before their numbers increase as well.





Grandma and Granddad Briden have come to visit us. I asked them to come and help us all out during the transition after Hope's birth. They are a huge blessing and I thank God for them both. My mother-in-law has cooked for us and my father-in-law has entertained the kids while I'm nursing baby Hope. They took a picture today with the Briden four as well. What special grandparents our children have. Thanks for everything Grandma and Granddad : )



May God bless you all during this Christmas season. Don't worry our Christmas card is coming :) Love, Crystal

Hello All! I am sorry this has taken so long to post and we so appreciate all the prayers and thoughts for our family! All is going great in the Briden household : ) Hope Lynn Briden was born at 02:15 am on November 3oth. She weighed in at 8 pounds even and is 20 inches long. Labor went great, not as I had pictured in my mind. But it was the outcome I was most focused on in my mind. A Healthy baby and Mommy, God provided that and so much more. First is a picture of Hope immediately after birth in the warmer. Here is a picture of Hope, Daddy and Mommy right after delivery. I know Mommy is looking kind of exposed, sorry that is one of the best shots we have. Once again Daddy got to deliver his baby girl. He is an amazing doctor and man!! I am so thankful for him and his calmness during times of stress. He has an amazing way of relaxing and encouraging me. I can't imagine you not being at that end of the bed, Kelly, you are so awesome!! I thank and praise God for you as my husband. We make a great team!!
It was also an added blessing to have my sister in the delivery room with us. She was a great encouragement to me!! Hope Lynn Briden was named after her Aunt Heather. Heather's middle name is Lynn as well and they both shared the same initials at birth HLB. We love you Heather, you are the best sister in the whole wide world!! Not mention the best Cotswolds traveling buddy, ever :)






















Here are the Briden four pictured just today. The kids can't get enough of baby Hope. She is so much fun to hold and look at, irresistible to a five , four and two year old. The three older Briden kids were taken care of by Grandpa Burmeister (Grandpa B), my dad. He did a wonderful job with them and we are so grateful to him. The kids love their Grandpa B, he is fun and funny guy. So thank you Grandpa B for all your work and care for the three eldest Bridens.







Thank you again for all the prayers!! we had hoped to have this up sooner, but as I am sure you can imagine we were and are busy with life and our special new addition Hope. She is such a gift and we truly thank God for her safe arrival. God is good to us and we praise him for our little Hope Lynn. More pictures to come soon : ) But for now mommy has two girls that want a snack and one that needs to be nursed. All our thanks again! Love- Crystal

Hello All! This my first video on Blogger : ) Luke loves the song Holly Jolly Christmas. Here is the little man singing with our animated snowman Grandpa B and his wife, Brenda, gave the kids. Merry Christmas to you all! Love, Crystal

Hello All! Well today I am getting so excited to meet Hope that I have to write about one of my favorite things about having a new baby, Breastfeeding!! The image I included with this post is from Babytalk magazine the August 2006 issue. It sparked much controversy when it was received in homes by subscribers. The image of a child nursing at his mother's breast is what offended some readers. You can read an article regarding the scandal at
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14065706/
This will be my third child to breastfeed and I can't wait : ) It is hard work at times in the beginning. Then there is a time when for me it is pure joy. It forces me to sit down, relax and enjoy the gift of nurturing this little life for this season. In June of 2006 I took a class to become a Certified Lactation Counselor. I would love to teach breastfeeding education classes in a hospital someday in the future. But my true dream is to be a Lactation Consultant which would require many more hours of training to be internationally board certified.

This post is not to bash women who have chosen or who have tried very hard and have not been able to breastfeed. It is funny though in our culture that the breastfeeding infant and mother make us uncomfortable. We are bombarded with sexually explicit images on television nightly, but a women breastfeeding can make most in our culture quite unsettled. I think even our puritan ancestors would find that aspect of our culture double minded. Can one truly be comfortable with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders but turn with disgust away from a nursing mother/baby pair? We rarely watch football with the children anymore because of all the women exposed in the advertisements. For those of you that know Kelly that is quite a sacrifice, he loves football!!!

Just so you know I have always been modest as I nurse and I respect others comfort levels as well. I have purchased a "hootie hider" nursing cover for when Hope demands being feed in a more public place. I rarely side with my European ancestors on much. This is one area though were I say Americans need to relax. Don't be looking to be offended in all things and most likely you won't : )

My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring to hard.- David Allen


Just some food for thought : ) Love, Crystal

Hello All! I thought I would post some pictures of our Christmas decorating this weekend before I am too busy to think about blogging : ) The first picture is of the kids after decorating our Christmas tree. They really enjoy decorating and with shatter proof ornaments, mommy and daddy enjoy it too!



Lastly is a picture of me from Saturday. I am scheduled to be induced in three days : ) I am so excited to meet Hope. Please pray for us as we head to the hospital at 7:30 am. We covet your prayers for our safety and for God's will to be done. We hope to have pictures of her on the blog quite quickly. Make sure to check back for updates on Thursday and beyond : )




I can't help but think of Mary at this time of year, especially this year. I can't imagine riding a donkey and making that journey to Bethlehem this pregnant. I wonder how she felt after Jesus' birth. For each of the childbirths I have experienced I am in awe of the creator and his magnificent creation. Imagine holding the Lord in you arms as a newborn. What awe and joy she must have felt. She was truly blessed to be chosen of God to mother his son!! May God bless you all this Christmas!! Love, Crystal

Hello All! This past weekend we braved the crowds of Rivertown Crossings Mall in Grand Rapids, Michigan to build a special Bear for Hope. It has become a tradition in our family that the older sibling/s build a bear for the newest Briden addition. Grace built her own bear at about 15 months in Kansas City. Upon Faith's arrival Grace built her a bear in Springfield, Missouri. Faith was only days old at this point and the pictures are adorable. Before we moved back to Michigan both girls built a bear (actually it is a monkey) for Luke complete with a baseball uniform. They presented it to him upon his arrival. He has loved Max the monkey ever since. So it was only right that they all got to help celebrate Hope. We waited in line for about 45 minutes to build the bear and all three showed amazing amounts of patience. I was ready to turn around after I spied the line, but they would have never stood for that : ) So I have included the photos of them getting ready to build the bear as well as kissing the hearts that they each carefully placed in Hope's bear. Our newest addition to our family is a pink and white bear with Hello Kitty pajamas and pink bows on her ears named "Sparkle".

After the bear building went to ride on the neat carousel inside the mall. I was sitting watching them ride with Daddy. Mommy can't do carousels at his point for many reasons. Luke kept looking for me and yelling "Mom". It was sweet he really wanted me to see him ride the horse up and down. Next was a stop at the food court for ice cream, Yummy! We truly thank God for these fun family times : ) Love you all! Enjoy- Crystal (Nine days and counting to scheduled induction, we will post pictures as soon as we can)

Hello All! I am excited to share my induction date. Due to my gestational Diabetes the doctor only wants me to go into my 39th week. The concern is always the size of the baby. With Diabetes the baby can get very big and it can be hard to deliver vaginally. The date the induction of my labor will most likely take place is the 29th of November. That is a week after Thanksgiving. Yeah!! I am excited to have a date. It doesn't mean that it will work and Hope will be born. I have had three failed inductions in the past. Those were with Grace though, and that was before my body was aware what labor was. So I am hopeful it will work well and that ultimately God's will is done. Please pray for us as the time nears. Pray especially for the health of baby Hope and Mommy, please.

I got a kick out of this cartoon today and thought I would include it on the blog. It is interesting to me now having three kids under six (soon to be four) how much I have learned about being a mother. I love each one of our kids, but in some ways I appreciate what the lady in the blue coat is sharing. This is the hardest I have ever worked at anything in my life. It is extremely rewarding and fun most of the time : ) But, there are those times when you wish you could "clock out" and take a break. I do take breaks, but rarely do I stop thinking as a mommy. I am always thinking things like " I hope Faith got her medicine." and "Is Grace getting enough one on one attention with me?" or " Does Luke need new pants for fall? I don't think capris are in style for little boys." So even in my break time I am never truly checked out. This is my calling, I love it and I love each one of my charges. Each on so special, unique and a gift from God!! I can't wait to see who Hope will be, what fun!!! God Bless you all- Crystal

Hello All! I hope all is well in your life and your families. I had to share some funny "You know you're a mother if..." quotes I found today while surfing the net. Let me preface this by saying we have been playing tons of the game Candyland in our home. The kids truly love it. All three are figuring it out and even Luke can name the colors of the square he needs to move to and tell you how many moves he needs to make. I found a quote today that made me laugh because I commonly stack the deck so as to get an exciting quick game for all. I make sure all three have a special card that moves them to "Grandma Nutt", "Princess Lolly", "Mr. Mint" or "Queen Frostine"just to name a few. So this quote did make me laugh out loud today and at this point in pregnancy I need all the laughter I can get.


+You know you're a mother when you stack the deck during games of Candyland, so your 3-year-old picks Queen Frostine, a square near the end, first.+
Patricia Gallagher Newberry

I admit as a mother I like a kinder, gentler Candyland game. I like all participants to have a "fun" move ahead square. I even position the cards at times so they are in order so they don't have to go back all the way to the beginning to "Mr. Mint" once we have passed him. I had to laugh when I read it : ) Tonight we play Candyland with Daddy. He is a fierce competitor. I will let you know if he ends up with any of the "fun" cards or not. Love to you all- Crystal

Hello All! I wanted to let you know I have added a poll to the blog. I want you to vote on where Hope's birth weight will fall. If you come close you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are good at guessing : )

If you know what Grace and Faith weighed at birth you might have an advantage in this poll. Not necessarily though, as I have maintained closely my Gestational Diabetes during Hope's pregnancy. Have fun and we shall see who comes closest. If you want to leave an exact guess, just post a comment with the number included. I will start with my guess : ) Love, Crystal

Hello All! I wanted to let everyone know I am still thankfully pregnant : ) I have been contracting so much more than with Grace or Faith. I think the primary reason is with your first and even second you sit when you need to. This time around I have three little people who need attention as well. So I am glad Hope is still safe inside: ) These pictures were taken yesterday I was thirty five weeks and 3 days. Remember pregnancy is 40 weeks, not nine months. I am also full term after this week is complete. So when people say my baby was two weeks early and 6 or 7 pounds that is not necessarily "early". The due date is a best guess and full term is just as full term at 37 weeks as 41 weeks. So I am excited to be passing that milestone as well. Please pray for us as we prepare the house and everyone in it for HOPE LYNN BRIDEN !!!

Mommy and the girls ready for church : )

Daddy and his buddy, they are so outnumbered : )

Love you all- Crystal

Hello All! I know two posts in one day, so impressive : ) I wanted to include these cute pictures of our kids. Last weekend we spent at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City, Michigan. It was a great time as this hotel has a huge indoor water park and many fun child friendly activities. Last weekend the Lodge even had some "trick or treating". The kids were able to dress up and go to different locations in the hotel to trick or treat. Our kids were thrilled as they got to wear their costumes indoors where it isn't so cold : )

Grace is dressed as a Veteranarian as she is now obsessed with becoming one. She loves animals, especially cats. So her costume when found half off was perfect for Gracie. faith is Belle from the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. She is equally obsessed with being a princess so her costume again is so appropriately her. Luke is dressed up as a dragon. He is not obsessed with becoming a dragon, but her sure likes to growl at his sisters. This costume is the perfect excuse to growl and act like a boy. Luke loves to dress up as well as his sisters, but it is nice to see him not told by his mother hens what to wear.

This morning we carved pumpkins and roasted pumpkins seeds. Faith did not want to get her hands dirty, Grace went at it quite enthusiastically and Luke did it but wasn't quite sure this was really a fun activity. So this is a picture of the gang and Mommy getting started.

The finished products, Grace choose a cat, Faith the three blind mice and Luke a silly Jack- O-Lantern face.

Daddy and Luke, all ready to get messy. You will notice there aren't many pictures once people got messy because you can't take a picture with goop on your hands : )

The three kids and their creations. Have a great week and enjoy the pictures : ) Love, Crystal

Hello All! I am sorry I have been silent for some time. I am 34 weeks pregnant now. Life is slowing down for me in many respects and speeding up in others. I am slower moving now and it takes longer to accomplish tasks that are normally quite quick. The " to do" list I had at 20 weeks is not all getting done, in that respect time is flying by. I have been here before, I must let it go. The world doesn't end because all the closets aren't perfectly organized : )



I am half excited to meet Hope soon and the my other half is wanting her to stay safe where she is. This world is unfair, ugly, and often times so painful that I want to protect her from it all. I know it is also beautiful, always whispering of it's creator, and full of joy. I know that both these aspects of our world are part of it. I also have accepted only God can protect Hope. My motherly protection can only go so far. It is in the experience of the joy and pain of this life that choices are made about the truth of this world and eternity. It is with both excitement and trepidation that I welcome Hope. I wish I could shield her always from the bad of this world, the pain. It is in God's hands now. Her first breaths, first smiles, first laughs, first steps, and first hurts are all in his hands now. All have been written down in his book before one has been played out in time. God please be with Hope and me as you prepare her to cross over from life pre-birth to her first breath. Please protect us both and God please give us your grace to face the outcome. The outcome that you have known since before time began.



Psalm 139:13-16 "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, everyone of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."




Love you all- Crystal

Hello All! Sunday was a beautiful crisp fall day. My sweet hubby took the kiddos for a bike ride.
They ride to our local "slurpee" store usually which is a good mile bike ride. Our local seven/eleven closed this past spring and that was our"slurpee" store. So we were very bummed when it closed. Well it just reopened under a new name and has new owners. So the kids got to ride for their slurpees. Kelly is always so good with them and getting them outside. He is truly a champ, he has to help them up and down hills, and carry Luke on the back of his bike. So thank you Daddy for the fun fall slurpee run, You are the BEST!!! We Love you!!

Daddy with the crew of Slurpee fanatics.

Luke in his special seat on the back of Dady's bike.

The gang with slurpees and jelly beans. Yum, Yum!! Love you all- Crystal

Hello All! Fall has arrived upon our doorstep. The leaves are changing into brilliant hues and falling. The air is a sharp contrast from last week. Currently it is 47 degrees here, but with sun shining through the clouds. I have been thinking lately when am I going to see "my deer" again. Our backyard is quite shielded all summer with full green leaves and pine needles. But for the fall, winter and part of spring we enjoy watching deer crossing our backyard beyond our fence. It is most commonly does and fawns in groups as big as 12-14. I only remember one or two bucks the whole time we have lived here. But today as I sat on the couch talking to Kelly at lunchtime I felt eyes on me through the sliding glass door in our family room. I looked down the hill to see a huge eight point buck looking at me curiously. He was just up to our fence peeking over. He even cocked his head as if to say, "Oh, Hi". I said "Oh, My" and started counting his "points", this is the number of points on his antlers. I told Kelly, "we have an eight point buck in our backyard!" His reply was "Go get your shotgun." I had to laugh at this for two reasons. Number one, any good Michigander knows when firearm deer season starts in our state and we are over a month away from November 15th. Most boys were out of school on this date while I grew up. Secondly, couldn't you just see the 32 week pregnant mama out there shooting a buck as the kids are napping. I think my neighbors would fall over from shock. I love my 12 gauge shotgun, but I have only ever killed a clay pigeon with it. : ) The shotgun was a gift from my dad awhile after we moved into our farmhouse in Missouri. I miss shooting it sometimes. Maybe some day when the kids are older I will shoot clay pigeons again. Until then I will just observe the lovely fauna in my big backyard. Besides "old bessy" (that is my name for my trusty 12 gauge) has a strong recoil, I wouldn't want to go into labor and explain the why. Enjoy your fall!! Blessings and Love to all- Crystal

Hello All! Fall has arrived here even though it is supposed to be in the high 80's today. Fall for us is always bittersweet or at least it has been for the past two years. Kelly's parents, Grandma and Granddad Briden, come to Michigan to live close to us for the delightful summer. we love having them so close to us. The kids love being around them and getting to know them better over each summer. Thank you Grandma and Granddad for giving of your time, energy, love and hospitality to our family for another great summer. We are all missing you already. Faith asked this morning " Are we going to Grandma and Granddad's this morning?" I said " No honey, they are in St. Louis with our Missouri family now." She looked at me slightly perplexed and said, "Oh." I don't think it quite sank in, but it will over time. I personally can't wait for them to come back to visit after the birth of Hope. I am already dreaming of the comfort foods my mother-in-law cooks : ) So thanks again Grandma and Granddad, we LOVE you SO much!!!! XXXXXOOOOO Love, The Bunch

Hello All! Well I wanted to post quickly this morning and pass on our happy anniversary that took place this weekend. On September 29th, 2005 Kelly and I went to Chicago O'Hare Airport to pick up our tiny baby boy. So it has been two years since God added Luke to our family. He is a joy and developing quite a cute and quick sense of Humor. When we picked him up we had just moved back to Michigan from Missouri. We had many things we were trying to get settled. It was a stressful, yet fun time as we learned who our new son was. We are so thankful for Luke he is always very forgiving, generous and loving. We are amazed after a failed adoption in Sierra Leone how God choose Luke to become a Briden. Thank God for Luke!! Through this God has taught us so much patience and given us a glimpse of how he loves each one of us. May you all know you are loved today by the God that brings families together, even across the globe!! Love, Crystal

Hello All! Today is the day four years ago that our family welcomed Faith!! From that day on we rarely have a dull moment. She has an excitement that is contagious. We love you Mae-Mae!!! Faith went to pre-school today and celebrated with her class. She got to make her own crown and decorate it. So here is our four year old little girl's picture from today.

Last Saturday we celebrated her birthday by heading to Klackles Orchard in Greenville, Michigan. It was the perfect day!! The weather could not have been better, Praise God! We enjoyed playing on all the fun children's play equipment, walking the corn maze, climbing the Hay bale mountain, picking fresh apples, riding the pumpkin coaches, enjoying cider and doughnuts. Grandma and Granddad Briden and Grandma Nettie came along to celebrate with us. We all had a great time!! I even got to eat an apple : ) Faith's favorite thing was eating doughnuts and jumping in the inflatable pumpkin.

After Klackles we headed home to have a fun family Tinker Bell themed party. She even received a Tinker Bell dress up costume as a gift. She looks adorable in it. The cake was actually cupcakes that Mommy ordered from Wal-Mart with a Tinker Bell cake topper. It's hard to believe Faith is four now. She has grown and changed so much in just a year. I am so glad God blessed us with Faith, she is a sweetheart and so full of life. God Bless your Day Faith, we love you!!!! I must also add Happy Birthday Uncle Rick!! Faith and my brother, Rick, share this birthday, twenty four years apart of course. We love you too, Uncle Rick!!!Blessings to all- Crystal

Hello All! Well this past weekend we had guests. Uncle Rick and Aunt Kristin cam to visit on Saturday night and to church with us the next morning. The first thing the kids wanted to was "wrestle them". So we immediately went into our "wrestle" room. It was fun to see them and catch up on their lives. They are always so good with the kiddos and we love to talk and laugh with them both.




























The "Big" girls have officially moved into their new bedroom. They were able to help paint and decorate it. The color choice is a bluish/ green, because Grace loves blue and Faith green. They added their own peel and stick removable hearts, stars and flowers on the wall next to their beds. We are so thankful to have the added space for them to still have their own room : )









Yesterday was quite exciting for Grace. She was outside for recess and was told by the teacher to line up. She immediately jumped turned and ran smack into a tree. Needless to say she got a huge goose egg on her forehead. I was called by the school after it happened. I came to school to assess the injury and she was in the office with an ice bag on her head. The first thing she said to me was " Mommy, I don't want to have to leave school and go home." I checked her out and she appeared fine other than a huge "bubble" on her head. So she was s glad to stay with her buddies at school. This picture was taken this morning with the tree she hit head on and the bump on the head has gone down dramatically : )




I am now a full fledged Gestational Diabetic. With the girls I was always sort of borderline, but with Hope I failed the long three hour Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT). During the GTT you drink 100 grams of dextrose and the lab techs. draw your blood to see if your body is tolerating that much sugar. I failed a couple of the blood draws, my sugar was too high. So now I have my own glucometer to measure my blood sugar level and I am eating a modified ATKINS diet. It is amazing how many carbohydrates are in all the foods we eat commonly daily. My sister-in-law Suzi is a Type 1 diabetic and has battled this most of her life and for all four pregnancies. My hats off to her, she is a trooper!!! I am already dreaming of eating a large "Peanut Butter Cup Perfection" in a waffle bowl from Cold stone Creamery (http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/) . Alas, I will need to wait patiently till the beginning of December. It is worth it for Hope to be healthy, I would do anything for that girl : ) If I have learned anything being a parent this is only the beginning of my self sacrifice. I would gladly die for any one of my precious people God has given me. So now Mommy "Sucks it up" and gives up carbs. But please remember me after Hope's birth and send all refined sugar to our home address ; ) Just Kidding!!


In other news Faith Mae turns four next Wednesday on the 26th. I can't believe my baby girl is getting so old. She is loving pre-school and is often bummed she can't go to school everyday like big sister Grace. This weekend we will celebrate her birthday by going to Klackles Orchard in Greenville, Michigan(http://www.klackleorchards.com/). They have a wonderful fun area for kids to play, a corn maze, wagon rides to pick your own apples, and many pumpkin patches. I will post photos of that outing soon : ) Oh and don't worry, Apples are quite low in carbs compared to other fruit. I promise to pass on the cider doughnuts though. God Bless you all- Love, Crystal