Grace is Born (Well, for the first time at least!)

My blog has been a bit quiet lately, as my little one arrived! Just 5 hours short of her due date, Grace Jean Cortright made a prompt appearance into the world. Luke and I couldn’t be more overjoyed.

I have to spend at least one blog post talking about Grace, since becoming a mom is one of the biggest events in my life. Grace’s birth is also the perfect timing to talk about a subject more personal and meaningful to me than anything else- the biblical idea of being “born” and being “born again.” I know that this is a somewhat taboo topic, but with Grace having just gone through her first birth, it’s been on my mind a lot.

The idea of these two births comes from John 3. A man (Nicodemus) comes to Jesus and tells him that he knows that God is with Him. Jesus then answers by saying, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This stumps Nicodemus. He knows that he’s been born once, but the idea of a second birth makes no sense to him. He asks, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother’s womb, and be born again?”

John 3:5-6

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Now, flashback to Grace’s birth. I went into labor late Sunday evening into Monday morning. I had been going through mild contractions for many hours when my doctor decided to break my waters. That was the most unique experience of my life. I won’t go into the gory details of water breaking, but let me assure you- when Grace was born, she was born “of water.” Lots of it. All over the place. The first birth that Jesus talks about here is being born “of water.” Nicodemus must also have understood that the first birth was referring to a physical first birth, since he doesn’t question that aspect of what Jesus says.

 

Someday, though, I hope that Grace will be born again. No, I’m not hoping for her to crawl back into my womb (like Nicodemus proposed). Once was enough for that. She’s already been born of the flesh; eventually, she’ll need to be born of the spirit.

Right now, Grace has a dead spirit. That sounds incredibly strange, given the amount of time she spends wiggling and crying, but it’s true! She has a soul and a body, but she has a God-shaped hole in her heart. Someday, when she’s old enough to understand spiritual ideas, I hope that she will recognize that she has sinned (hey, we all have, after all!), that there is such a place as hell, and that she doesn’t have to go there if she accepts Christ as her savior. When she does this, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of her. She has a spiritual birth!

I know this is a tricky and complicated subject. Feel free to email me, comment on this blog, or contact me whichever way works best for you if you have any questions.
 

Grace- 5 pounds, 11 ounces. Sunny- 8.5 pounds.

 

Grace trying to eat her towel after her first bath.

Quality time with dad.

This is her favorite activity...

As is this...

But sometimes she wakes up....

And she's a happy little girl! 

 

A Local Marsh with an Exotic Twist

 

This past weekend, I went out with the family to a waterfowl preserve in Oconto, WI. Along the way, we encountered a plant very familiar to our area.

 

This plant grows everywhere, and it is especially prevelant along the edges of Highway 41 or 29. It's taken over many different areas, but until recently, I had no idea what it was. I always just thought it was a pretty, marsh-y reed. Its scientific name is phragmites australis, but it's better known as a phragmite (or common reed). You can read more about it here. And, like so many plants in our area, it does not naturally come from Wisconsin, or even the United States.

Scientists think that they came from the Middle East, and now they have spread to North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

They grow to be quite large. Here's the head of the plant compared to my hand.



The Wisconsin Wetlands Association is concerned; not only do these plants spread like wildfire, but they are drowning out cattails, which ARE native to Wisconsin. Even worse, they cause a greater fire risk than other plants. You can read more about how they are observing and containing this problem at their website.  This website also gives great information about how to identify the native versus non-native species.

At the marsh, we were able to see this problem growing before our eyes.

By this pond, the phragmites were definitely outnumbering the cattails.

 

 

They are beautiful plants, however, and we enjoyed our afternoon outside. We will only have a few more days like this before the snow flies!

 

 

 

 

 

This goldenrod wasn't ready to admit that winter is coming.

 

 







Of course, my blog post wouldn't be complete without tying it in to a biblical topic in some way. This one was easy, since reeds are mentioned frequently in biblical times. Whether being used for arrows, baskets, measuring sticks, roofing, or pens, reeds were a frequent tool in both the Old and New Testament.

Fall Scenes

 It's hard to believe that it's November already- Thanksgiving, more Packer games, bare trees, and the first snowfall are right around the corner. In fact, the average first measurable snowfall in Green Bay is November 13th (my due date, coincidentally!).

 

 

Since we only have a few more weeks of autumn before winter rears its ugly head, I thought I'd take a walk down memory lane with some autumn photos I've taken. Enjoy some scenes that will soon be covered with a blanket of white...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may not recognize this, but it is a milkweed pod. They go to seed in autumn in Wisconsin. They are one of the last seeds to come out before winter; their seed pods dry out and then split open.

 

 

 

 

If you spot a place with lots of milkweed, odds are you'll see monarch butterflies there next year. This is their favorite plant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee." ~Nehemiah 9:6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wisconsin Figs

Last year, we tried growing a fig tree. When we first received it in the mail, it literally looked like a stick in a bucket. In case you’re having a hard time picturing what that might look like, I’ve drawn a detailed picture of our fig tree from last year:

We watered it all summer. We also were careful to give it as much sunlight as possible and tenderly watched it every day. I wish I could say that the fig tree blossomed into a towering bush covered in fruit, but sadly, by the end of the summer, it pretty much looked the same.

Meanwhile, our good friends, Paul and Judy Kasper, had also been growing fig trees. They had successfully grown four beautiful, big fig trees, though theirs hadn’t produced any fruit. At the end of the summer, they graciously gave us one of them, kindly assuming that we wouldn’t be able to ruin a perfectly healthy plant.

It promptly lost its leaves, and ended up looking like…you guessed it…

Over the winter, we stored it in our garage. Since someone lives in the apartment above the garage, it stayed relatively warm through the cold Wisconsin winter.

Summer 2012

When we pulled our wintering plants out in the late spring, we had very low expectations for our little figgy. We pretty much assumed we would be storing a stick on our patio for the summer. So, imagine our surprise when the fig tree not only grew leaves, but actually grew some fig stubs.

Our first ripe fig!

 

Now, fig trees are very unique, in that they do not produce traditional flowers like other fruit trees do. Most Wisconsin fruit trees produce blossoms (like you’d see on cherry or apple trees in the spring), and then the pedals fall off. The middle of the flower then becomes the basis for the fruit to form.

The initial fig stubs were actually the start of fig “flowers”. If you’ve ever eaten a fig, you know that there is a juicy, soft, bright pink center. That’s actually the flower of the fig. The fig fruit grows inside out, so while the tree never forms blossoms, it does form a flower that stays in the middle of the fruit.

Our first fresh fig, cut in half.

 

By the end of this summer, we had successfully grown 4 mature, delicious figs. We had about 20 more small, green figs left on the tree, but since our growing season is so short, they never ripened.

So, in honor of those four scrumptious figs, I present to you:

 

Four Fun Fig Facts

-There were figs in the garden of Eden. In fact, when Adam and Eve attempted to cover their nakedness, they chose to sew together fig leaves (Genesis 3:7).

-The fig tree is the only tree that Jesus cursed (Mark 11).

-Jeremiah describes good figs, evil figs, and even naughty figs that “could not be eaten, they were so bad” (Jeremiah 24). God uses this to explain the differences between Israel and the leaders of Judah.

-Figs are the most mentioned fruit in the Bible (discussed over 50 times!)

 

If you’ve never had a fresh fig, I highly recommend trying one. They are very difficult to get in Wisconsin, as they are fragile and deteriorate quickly, making them difficult to ship. If you keep your eyes peeled, though, they are usually available for a week or two in some grocery stores during the late summer. The taste is unique, refreshing, and sweet: nothing like a raisin, to which they are usually compared, and a million times better than a fig newton. 

 

Our fig tree, just as Luke was starting to prune it for the winter.

Sunny made a cameo appearance.

 

Fall Leaves

Wow- things have been super busy lately! I can’t believe how quickly the past few months have flown by.  Since finding out that I’m expecting, my life has gotten jam-packed with baby preparations, spending extra time with friends and family, and transitioning out of my current job. Unfortunately, it looks like my little blog attempt got left behind in the dust.

Well, not anymore! Since fall is the time of falling leaves, it seems like an appropriate time to turn over a NEW leaf and get writing again.

Speaking of leaves, that brings me to this week’s blog post…

How do leaves change color?

 

I only remember bits and pieces from my 4th grade science class. I know that the green color comes from chlorophyll, which is part of photosynthesis. But what did Mrs. Hipwell say about the color changes?

In situations such as this, I turn to my good friend Mr. Google.

So, how do we get the beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds of fall?

 

Photo taken in Bone Lake, MI

University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemistry professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri has covered this one. His website explains fall colors in his “chemical of the week” series. His explanation:

“If the leaf contains carotene, as do the leaves of birch and hickory, it will change from green to bright yellow as the chlorophyll disappears. In some trees, as the concentration of sugar in the leaf increases, the sugar reacts to form anthocyanins. These pigments cause the yellowing leaves to turn red.”

So, the same glucose that gives us delicious maple syrup is also responsible for the gorgeous, dark red hue this time of year.

Photo taken at Deer Lake Campground, MI

When the leaf contains equal parts of both chemicals, the leaf appears orange.

When a leaf appears dark brown, as is the case with many oak trees, it is due to the dried, leftover waste of the leaf (like most of my indoor plants, unfortunately).

 

 Photo taken at Deer Lake Campground, MI

 

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” -Isaiah 64:6

 

 



 

 

 

 

Cute Baby Bugs

Hello,

Well, as I mentioned last time, Luke and I were going to go up to my parents' cabin, and we were able to go last weekend. We love going up there every chance we get; it's a relaxing, peaceful, and refreshing change of pace. Plus, Luke loves that he can set up a fishing pole with a bell, and listen for the bell to ring while helping with yard work or working on a different project.

While Luke was hanging out on the dock setting up his fishing pole, he called over to me, "Hey Jen, come check out this wiggler!"

I responded, "What's a wiggler?"

Luke (vaguely): "A baby bug."

Take a moment and picture in your head a baby bug. Does it have cute, big eyes looking up at you? Is it round, with a cartoon smile on its face? Good. Then you know what I was expecting to see. I guess I thought I'd be looking at this:

A cute little wiggler.

Or maybe this:

An even cuter bug. Sure, I'd consider calling this a wiggler. I

imagine saying, "Hey there, little bug! Wiggle on over to this flower!"

Now, with those things in mind. Here is what Luke actually wanted to show me:

Hi. I'm a mayfly nymph. I am neither cute, nor cuddly.

However, I will wiggle over to you in a sinister fashion.

If you've ever bought live bait at a store that sells a variety of bugs, you've no doubt seen these. I had heard of wigglers before (I think Luke has mentioned fishing with them a few times, but we've never used them). I've seen the little Styrofoam containers marked "wigglers," but I've never opened them up. Now, I'm glad I hadn't.

The good news is, wigglers are primarily used during ice fishing season. Since spring is officially here (even if we'll have weather in the 40's this week), I can put these little wigglers out of my mind for several months. I've been told that they don't bite. They're just homely to look at.

Also, in case you're curious, here's a photo of what mayfly nymphs become when they grow up:

Photo from ucmp.berkeley.edu

One last fun fact about mayflies- their other nickname? Green Bay Flies. Wow- Green Bay isn't just known for the Packers after all!

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom has thou made them all:

the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea,

wherein are creeping things innumerable, both small and great beasts."

 ~Psalm 104:24-25

Praising God for harmless, innumerable, small beasts,

Jen

Early Spring Adventures

Wow! What amazing weather we've had all week! I cannot believe that most of the temperatures have been in the 60's. We're having June weather in mid-March! Luke and I have been trying to take advantage of the nice weather to go on some adventures.

Since the weather has been so warm, Luke had a hunch that fish would start their spawning earlier in the year as well. On Tuesday evening, we went up to Footbridge and got to see the start of the steelhead spawning. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend visiting the  C.D. "Buzz" Besadny Anadromous Fisheries Facility in Footbridge. If you go within the next week or two, you'll get to see some of the biggest steelhead in Wisconsin. It's breathtaking to see these gigantic fish jumping inches away from your nose. They also have great hiking trails that take you alongside the Kewaunee River. Plus, it's free!

Last weekend, Luke, Kristen, and I went to the wildlife sanctuary, or, as we like to call it, "a city version of nature." We meandered through the buildings and came to the place where you can buy corn for the birds. Normally, Luke and I would just share 1 bag of corn (since they're $1 a bag, it makes for a cheap date). However, this time Luke only had a $5 bill, so we ended up schlepping 5 bags of corn out to where the geese lazily stared at us.


Now, starting off, we were very well behaved corn-throwers. A few sprinkles here, a light toss there, having a nice time. From a distance, I'm sure we looked like 80-year-olds. As such, I got quite a few pictures of geese lazily eating. Some of the geese were just pretending to be "too cool" for corn, but in the end they all wanted some.

Let me show you how little I care about this corn

by waving my bottom in the air.

However, Luke realized that if we kept throwing corn at a snail's pace, we would be there all day. He decided a better method would be to empty the bags in less than 20 seconds. Now, I don't think the ducks and geese were used to this approach. Chaos ensued.

Our version of an early bird special.

 This did have the other undesired side effect of stealing all the ducks from the other people, as the birds came racing to see if they could cash in on the event. However, the weather was so nice that no one was too upset.

The turtles at the Wildlife Sanctuary were also surprisingly friendly. My sister snapped this picture of a painted turtle with her iPhone:

Well, hello there.

I also got a nice one of a turtle grabbing some air. I'm not sure what species this was, but his neck is super long!

I'm just a turtle, pretending to be a snake.

So, overall, it was a very nice trip. We're going to Oconto this weekend, so hopefully I'll have some nice walleye pics to share with you soon.

Enjoy the weather! And don't forget to thank the Creator who gave it to us!

Jen