We are having tons of fun with our four litte ones...
Maybe one day soon-ish I'll start squeezing in some more
We are having tons of fun with our four litte ones...
Coffee
(butter toffee with hazelnut creamer),
my favorite fall-time snack
(candy corn & roasted peanuts),
and a card...
What a great
late-morning
{surprise}
from Bella!
I love you,
sweet girl!
I was thinking my baby tummy wasn't this big all along, but whoa! The camera adds like 10 lbs, right!? RIGHT!? I just compared myself with this picture again, pregnant with Brigham at 35 weeks, 1 day. {These pictures are today at 35 weeks, 5 days.} Earlier in the week I swore up and down that I was nowhere near that big this time. That was until I saw these pics from today... I measured almost a week-and-a-half small at my last visit with my midwife too. We'll see what she says on Tuesday for my next visit! It's just so hard to believe that my baby bump was so tiny just over four months ago and that he's grown into this now. What a miracle, each and every time.
I still feel great most of the time and have no major complaints. {I don't really count not being able to roll over in bed anymore without strategic planning as a major complaint, only minor...} The baby is head-down, yet not engaged as of last week and still growing and moving quite well. Our midwife will deliver at home anytime past 36 weeks, so it looks like this homebirth might really happen! {Not to mention she starts making weekly home visits this next week! Yippe!}
We are getting so excited to meet this little boy, and I'm daydreaming way.too.much now by speculating how and when it will happen. Isabella prays every night now that Mommy and baby will get through contractions and be safe.
Yes, be safe, Sweet Baby Boy... We can't wait to show you to the world. {I can't believe it either! I started this little blog when I was pregnant with him... We had a "Cars" party and tried to spoil him rotten. Not that that doesn't happen on a daily basis around here! Such a cute age...}
~ My parents were here for a week-long visit and we tried to fit in quite a few yummy restaurants and fun outings. I'll miss the extra help and extra food...
~ We'll start school at home this Monday the 23rd! I'm so excited, but feel like I have a lot to get together this weekend still. Hang things on the wall, freak out, pray, order a few more books and supplies, buy more art supplies, freak out again, pray again, trip to the Christian bookstore, look into homeschool groups... I figured out that I just needed to set a date and start or there would always be something left to do, so that's the date we set! I hope to be able to keep up on here with what we're doing every couple of weeks. We have a perfect little dining nook off the kitchen with built-in shelves and our table that we'll be using for our school area and storage.
{Here's a pic from when we moved in... Love the shelving on both sides and the bare wall space to hang and store lots of school stuff!}
~ Mark's schooling is going very well so far, and I've lovingly started calling him a "nerd". Studying advanced-level pharmacology, biochemistry, anatomy & physiology, statistics, and anesthesia research would do that to the best of us, I believe. {Just between you and me, though, I think he sort of likes it...} Classes and exams are really heating up now and in full-swing, but he's doing an amazing job of juggling school with plenty of family time. It's hard to believe, but in a couple of months we'll probably know where we'll be moving on to next for phase II, starting next summer. I'll let you know which state we'll be the newest residents of when we find out!
~ Last, but certainly not least... If you haven't noticed, our newest little boy-blue will be arriving before we know it! I'm feeling very good and just can't believe that it's nearing the end already! I'm getting sooo excited to meet him, see what he looks like, and see how our first homebirth unfolds. Did I even mention yet that we were having a homebirth with him!? Hmmm.... Well, we're planning on it! We love, love, love our midwife and look forward to the new experience. Of course there's a list that I want to have done by a few weeks time, but we're really trying not to overreact with crazy unnecessary preparations for this one. By the fourth, I think {hope!} things just fall into place a bit more. But if I'm wrong on that thinking, please don't burst my bubble... ;) And yes... I promise an updated baby belly picture before too long! Oh, I just can't wait to share his name with you all too...
So... What's new with you all? I have some catchin' up to do! :)
We brought her home, not knowing she'd have a bubbly (and loud at times!) personality that shines and shines...
We brought her home, not knowing that {six} years could possibly go by so fast.
It's something that the "big" kids have been bugging me to do for a long time. Like going on two months long... Isabella would ask weekly, "Wheeen are we gonna have our lemonade and sucker stand!?"
We made signs during Brigg's naptime, prepared our lemonade, and gathered our supplies. We set up in a whirlwind while keeping kids corraled off the street. The babes were blissful.
I was worried that nobody would come, since it was close to supper time. Did they come? Boy, did they ever!! A flurry at the beginning, a few in the middle, and selling out during a flurry at the end, forcing us to cease operation until another time. Another perfect day...
As I sat there on my blanket next to our stand watching my oldest scurry up to the table-sit-smile-wave as each car turned the corner, I learned so much. This was more than just a burdensome lemonade stand to me, and so, so much more than a lemonade stand to them. When I look at these pictures of our three babies sitting in a row behind their stand, my heart swells and aches. It truly was the perfect lesson, the perfect day...
Whew! Again, I'm so excited to get things rolling and start down this new and winding path that we're led on...
* Eating out at old and new favorite places
* Shopping excursions to Costco and Toys 'R Us {Have you ever tried to keep a handle on a crazy 1 1/2 year old darting around Toys 'R Us?! Good thing I wasn't further along in my pregnancy, or I might have gone into labor smack in the middle of the Power Wheels aisle...}
* Giving haircuts at home to one Daddy and three children {Bella's hair got chopped -pics to come- and Brigham accidentally got "Dumb & Dumber" Lloyd bangs -pics not to come...}
* Lazy days and near-summer evenings spent at home
There were {medium} things like...
* Wonderful trips to quaint towns we love, just strolling and enjoying the sights
* Celebrating our 7th {already!?} anniversary... I Love You to the Moon and Back, Hon!
* Another trip to the drive-thru wildlife park to see crazy ostriches that made us keep windows rolled up, zebras that liked to bite children's fingers to make them cry, unnaturally large longhorns that smelled so icky that it almost made Mommy lose breakfast, and lots of other more gentle, well-behaved creatures
Those are just a few of the adventures {big} and {small} that have kept us busy the last couple of weeks... More to come tomorrow!