2013 Summer Wrap Up

We had some fun this summer. I really enjoyed the lazy, unplanned days. Knowing Fall would bring our first year of Home Education made it even more sweet. We had lots of trips to the zoo, nearby parks and libraries, play dates with friends and family. I think our favorites were the visits with grandparents and cousins.

 

Watching these kids run around in such a carefree and joyful way was good for my heart. Land! Space! Kids and chickens roaming free! "Helping" in the garden, learning about nature and hard work and the good that comes from it all. Oh such goods times!

We also challenged ourselves with some summer reading. If John could read 100 books he would earn a Lego box. When given the right motivation this boy works hard! He has always been focused and driven, he was born to get things done! Evelyn enjoyed being read to, either by me or John. It was a great experience to snuggle a read with them at their suggestion.

Of course Thomas has grown and developed so much this past Summer. In the beginning he was rolling, now he 'speed crawls', "travels" with the best of them, climbs over (almost) any obstacle we can think of, gets up on the step stool like the big kids, and will sometimes stand without holding on to anything. And since this picture was taken he has grown 2 teeth on bottom and 2 teeth on top. He's been very busy.

It really was a great Summer!

Plethora

So I've pretty much taken a huge vacation from blogging since getting pregnant. First being sick all the time kept me from it, then lack of energy, creativity, time, whatever. But I think about posts to write almost every day. Is blogging really necessary in my life? No, but I feel compelled to keep it up. I think I could use it as a tool in my life...but maybe this is a subject for a post of it's own. For now I think I'll just randomly spout off some big things that have happened over the summer.

 

Does this haircut make me look fat?

I got my hair cut awhile ago, about 4 inches. And I don't like it. I really enjoyed my long hair, but wanted to get rid of all my split ends and the crazy wispy layers from the last cut. I thought I would use this opportunity to really learn how to fix my hair - since there's less of it now. I've been looking at some of the on-line hair tutorials and apparently to fix your hair you need a large barrel curling iron and a flat iron. Hmmm. So I bought a curling iron and have used it a grand total of once and my hair looked pretty much how it does in the picture. Obviously hair is not my "thing".

In April the kids and I drove down to Tennessee with my mom to visit my oldest sister and her cute-cute new baby girl! I was still in sick-pregnant mode so I felt like more of a burden than a help. It was so fabulous to have the older cousins there, helping with the kids, they are so great! My little sister was there too, oh what wonderful people to hang out with! I miss them!

In July my little brother got home from his mission! We are so proud of him. We had a little family reunion and it was so great to be with my parents and brothers and sisters and their families. The kids had a BLAST. John had his first sleepover with his cousins and it has made a big impression on him. I love it when the little cousins get together! Unfortunately I forgot to pack the camera, so we have no pictures of all the happiness, bummer!

For the rest of July and most of August I stayed inside and enjoyed our AC! I tried to do fun things with the kids, but I'll be the first to say that they had a pretty lame summer. The exception was a "mommy preschool" that I did with a couple of other mothers. We took turns with who was in charge for the week and dropped our preschool age kids off, or had them all over at our place. It was exhausting when it was my turn, but also fun and I learned allot. I think I will post more on this experience later.

Not too long ago we got to welcome another niece to the family. The revered Uncle James and Aunt Stephanie had a beautiful baby girl! She's the cutest thing and we just love her! It's great to be close by so we can see how she's growing.  

At the very end of August I made a quick weekend trip to my parents' place. We love it there with Grandma and Grandpa! And of course we had some good times with cousins! The kids ran around like crazy, and we let them, it was great. Plus John got to have another cousin sleepover, which in his mind was the purpose of the whole trip! He loved it! As for me, I shamelessly let my mom and dad take care of me. I didn't cook one thing or clean a single dish, and I even brought a sewing project for my mom to finish! That sounds really awful now, but it was so refreshing - I love them so much! And here's a cute picture of the kids together, we miss them!

 Is that it? I guess so, except that over the bulk of summer John and I did reading lessons. We recently finished the book we were using and my 4 year old is now a reader! Yes, he still has allot to learn, but I'm just so stinken proud! Definitely another post of it's own!

With all the goings on I have steadily increased in size and uncomfortableness. The kids have been handling their tired, cranky mom very well! As has my husband. I think we will all be so happy when this baby comes out to play! I know I will be! I'm excited to hold him and see what he looks like and watch his brother and sister get to know him. It will be wonderful! But I'm also selfishly excited for my insides to have space again. I know I'll be trading one set of trials for another, but I will gladly make the trade when the time comes!

 

I guess time will tell if I actually write all the posts that I hinted at here, and all the other ones I have stored in my head. I want to! I feel excited to get back into this blog. I'm also excited to organize our home and my life, I'm excited to start homeschooling and let this be a "test run" year. I'm excited to plan out fun activities to do with the kids, and to get our place properly decorated. I'm still super tired and don't get much more than the basics done in a day, but it's nice to feel the excitement stirring. I don't know if it's the nesting stage creeping up on me, or the fact that my favorite season is upon us. (Yea for Fall!). Either way, I'll take it!

14 weeks - and a day

No, that is not how long it had been since I posted (although it may be close). It's just how pregnant I am! We are so excited for our third little baby! I'm not gonna lie though, I've been pretty sick...and tired. Nothing serious, just the ever present nausea, strange insatiable hunger, and total lack of energy or enthusiasm for anything. Oh, but I feel so much better now!

I've gained a ton of weight and so look more pregnant than I should. That's what happened for my first pregnancies but I thought I was going to be so good this time. I think I'll just give up on the idea of being skinny with a cute little baby bump. My babies' like a good layer of padding...everywhere!

I'm slowly catching up with dishes and laundry, and am finally starting to make real dinners for us. It was pretty bad there for awhile. Thankfully our bodies are very resilient, and the kids didn't really mind having p.b. and j. or popcorn for dinner.

It feels so good to feel normal! Well, there are still moments of sickness and I need to remind myself not to overspend my slowly increasing energy levels. But hey! Things are good right now!

Tada!

Like my new look? I do! It's fabulous, and it's all because of Elise over at A Little Bird Blogs.

It was so great to work with her and witness her talent. Honestly, I felt so unhelpful in trying to explain what I wanted but she was able to pull my convoluted ideas together and create this beautiful masterpiece! So happy!

If you're interested she is having a sale this month. 50 % off her normal prices!! Highly recommended!

Thanks Elise!!

Life on Second Shift

I am so happy! Can I just say that?! Heavenly Father has blessed us so much! It is wonderful to be able to live independently, relying on the Lord and His goodness. He provided a way for my husband to gain sufficient employment through a pretty great company, Boehringer Ingelheim, and though we are by no means well-off financially, we are rich with joy.

For the first 2 months of working here my husband trained on the "first shift", which is the very normal and wonderful schedule of 7a.m. to 3:30p.m.. We thought that might be a tough change from his previous job where he was at work by 4a.m. or sometimes 2a.m., but no. It was so natural! The kids and I had the first part of the day to play, learn, and get things done. Then we would welcome daddy home with shouts and hugs and those moments of happiness where you know everything is fine and dandy.

Of course we knew this was to be short lived, seeing as how the position he was hired for was "second shift". Now he works from 3p.m. to 11:30p.m.. It's been a little more difficult to get used to then I expected...mostly for me. We miss dinner with dad and his goodnight kisses, but we are working to find our new "norm" and trying to see all the pros. Of course it's more money, which is always nice! And we get to play with dad in our happy morning hours. If I don't mention all the cons maybe they'll go away...HA! Honestly, it's hard work and I'm learning allot about myself. Change is a great teacher. In the mean time I'm still happy! Kinks and all - it's our life, we're living it and loving it!

I still find it easy to thank my Heavenly Father every day for His tender mercies, and all the "little things" that bring smiles to our faces. I'm not perfect, and I can whine and complain with the best of them...today's a good day. :)

Wrapping it up - 2011

From Summer to New Years - allot has happened in between. Allow me to fill in some blanks.

Halloween - A family of Zombies. Little Johns' idea. He LOVES the "Plants Vs. Zombies" game. Here's the music video if you haven't seen it.

 

And our meager interpretation -

I was so glad for it all to be over so I could get a break from the 'zombie craze' but he continues to be quite passionate about it! Although the past few days have been all about robots - that is so much more normal for a 3 year old!

Thanksgiving was a fabulous time at my parents house. We were all there except for my older sister and her family, and my younger brother who is busy serving the Lord. The whole time just had a since of peace and happiness for me. We did the traditional yummy dishes and made tons of pie (and cheese cake!). SOOO good to just relax and be with people you love and who love you back. I didn't get many photos at all, just a few of the kids. But really, who wants to pose for a picture after eating that much food?

The "kiddie" table is always my favorite. :)

And cousins are the greatest! We miss these guys!

And then there was Christmas! The actual event was sandwiched between visits from family, grandparents and cousins and wonderfulness! It really made our new place feel even more homey.

We decorated...

we cracked nuts... (or played plants vs. zombies with them, oh the memories!)

And had a P.J. party - how CUTE are they!!!!

Oh what a beautiful morning! The kids liked all their toys, and still do! We hung balloons for an extra surprise and they were loved almost as much as the new toys! Seeing their surprised, happy little faces was so beautiful. Nothing beats it!

For the new year we made egg rolls - over a hundred of them! We're crazy like that. Little John was the photographer this time around...

I rolled them.

And dad fried them. Team work!

We made a bunch of noise (which isn't very different for us), danced throughout the day, and rang in the New Year with a good nights sleep!






Now we are on to new things! I have a list of posts in mind, but felt the need to finish up 2011. It was good to us! Here are some things to look forward to:

Homemade apple fritters (oh yes I did!)

All about our move

Making play-dough

Some good books

Homeschool musings

Communication with Love

Home...sweet home

We're here! With moving and getting the new place put together I haven't had much time or inclination to post. But our days are becoming more "normal" and the desire for blogging has come back in full force!



So here we are, living in a small and very normal apartment, calling it "home" and loving every minute of it! We haven't been able to get out much and see the great Columbus, but that just means we are enjoying the wonderful perks of having our own place.

 

It just feels so...right.

To have our own kitchen sink! I use it allot. There is no dishwasher, and I don't mind a bit! I glory in doing dishes
whenever I want, and the satisfaction of cleaning "my" kitchen.

And our own washer and dryer! We found them at an appliance warehouse, marked way down because of "cosmetic damage". Fabulous! Oh, to do laundry whenever we need to! My first washer and dryer - I feel so grown up right now!

Of course I am putting the stove and oven to good use, too. I am having so much fun planning meals and making yummy things for my family to eat. The only problem now is leftovers! I need to work on downsizing recipes. Or just start inviting people over! Fun! 

Here's a close up of my salt and pepper chef men. Because I know you love them as much as I do. Aren't they fantastic!! I grew up with these guys, my mom loved them first and graciously passed them on to me. I call them Gog  and Magog, they watch over my kitchen. If you have read the Anne books you know, if not - I feel sorry for you.





Am I being too enthusiastic over these things? I think not! I am completely and wonderfully blissfully happy over my new found freedom in Domesticity! Bring on the dishes, the sweeping, the dirty toilet, the hairballs in the drain - I attack and I conquer and it's MINE!  Remember when we were little and we would "play house"? Well I'm playing now, and it's fun!

I am just spilling with gratitude toward my Heavenly Father right now and forever. Such blessings! If you are ever bogged down by the mundane responsibilities of running a household please remember how wonderful it is to even have that responsibility! To have dishes, and floors, and soap! To have dirty faces to clean, and little people to hug. To make your house (or apartment) a Home. Such blessings!

In Transition

Oh happy day! We are on the move! Excuse my absence while we attend to a big life change. We're on our way to Columbus, Ohio! Exciting!

What we did this Summer

Here is a pictorial review - 

We really had fun this Summer, going to parks and county events, playing in the back yard and chasing chickens! It seemed to go by so fast! Hope everyone else had a great Summer too!

Up To's

Yesterday - I cut my little girls hair!! I can hardly believe it! Her first hair cut ever, sadness. It was time though, things were looking more straggly than cute. Here are some before and afters:

Before -

After - 

Bye bye little baby wisps! It does look better, like she's a proper little girl now. Where's my baby?!

And this morning I decided to do a little draft for Halloween. My boy wants to be "black Batman", so we pulled out his sweat pants, dad's black socks, and black duct tape and we created this masterpiece -

He's a natural Super Hero I tell you! The poses this boy comes up with!

Of course Evelyn got in on the action. She eventually found a party hat to wear and we dubbed her "party girl". Oh the silliness!

Something I LOVE!

Guess what I got?

A sewing machine! 

Thanks to some birthday money from our great family members I was able to purchase this beauty - 

Kenmore's best seller. I was going to be happy with the cheaper one but my mother insisted I upgrade. SOOO glad she did! I love this thing! Every time I use it I am so amazed and grateful for whoever was inspired to create such a thing as a "sewing machine". I've had it for about a month (I guess). Honestly I wish I could be working on some project every day (and with the help of online tutorials there is a plethora of ideas at my fingertips!), but alas! Time and money are always my great restrainers. Thankfully I have been able to accomplish some fun things.

First I just sewed around the edges of this super cozy fabric I found in the "returns" bin at the fabric store, and gave it to my little boy as his blanket. He loves it! Even though it was super easy sewing, my satisfaction monitor was reading off the charts! It still jumps up when I see him cuddled in bed with it. :)

Next, I have a friend about to have a baby. So I made some soft, squishy blocks for baby to play with, hug, sit on, or whatever. I think I will have to make a set (or more) for my own kids, they were attacking these things like crazy!

Maybe I'll post a tutorial for them...

Next I made a Crayon Roll! I found a tutorial I really liked here . But there were quite a few different ones out there. You can see that it is a bit wavy when it is supposed to be laying flat, but I'm okay with that. :) I expect I will need allot more experience before my creations start looking halfway decent! In the mean time, creating anything at all gives me such feelings of happiness,...joy,... and accomplishment!

Having this awesome tool has even motivated me to finally do all the mending that had to be done by hand! I didn't take a picture of that, who wants to see our holey clothes?! Anyway, I am really in love with my cute little sewing machine. And I look forward to sharing more posts on things I have done and created with it!

Strawberry Season!

Not only do we get to enjoy the beautiful weather we have been waiting all winter for, but we also get to have fresh strawberries, picked by our own little hands! There is something so perfect about watching my kids pick their own berry and take a big juicy bite out of it, without thinking twice.

 

We picked and picked!

Little John was very focused, and possibly could be awarded "Best Picker"

Evelyn loved it and was soon covered with ruby red stickiness. But she had a problem keeping her bucket full...

Then she decided to help with mine!

I love that girl!

What did we do with all our Strawberries? Strawberry shortcake of course! But I froze most of them, looking forward to refreshing strawberry smoothies!

It was a beautiful day!

Hi! How are'ya?

Here are some random things we have been up to:

I turned 28! And this is what I look like - pretty much the same as ever.

We went to a thing put on by the county where kids could see fire trucks and such up close and personal. I was so excited that we could get on a school bus. Little John has been wanting to get on one for awhile. 

Of course the fire truck was awesome. John cracks me up with all his poses!

Obviously I couldn't resist sticking my kids in this huge tractor tire.

We have had allot of rain, so we have been doing whatever we can to stay sane!

This has included indoor water play...

Craft time, to make things like...

weather diagram things on popsicle sticks...

and painting paper plates to make them into frogs. Unfortunately I don't have a finished product picture, but Here's the idea from Family Fun.

Thankfully we were able to get out of the house yesterday and have a great day with some family. These kids LOVE their cousins! It was such a fun time! Evelyn especially enjoyed her first fire roasted jumbo marshmallow. Hilarious!

I love my family! And am kind of amazed that they love me back! Lately I have been really enjoying the daily, repetitive activities with them. Instead of seeing the monotony of it all I have been able to feel the beauty of these moments. I hope everyone is enjoying the beauty of their own everyday normal!!