A brand new baby picture

Look at that little chubby cheek! At 32 weeks, I'm getting awfully ready to hold this little fella. Seeing him on the ultrasound actually makes my impatience worse. But we have six and a half weeks left - at the most - before the c-section and so much left to do! Hopefully that nesting urge will kick in soon because I do not want to go into labor with a messy house...again.

Brenna's five year old on-the-steps picture

I somehow neglected Brenna's birthday picture on the steps (forgetfulness is becoming a real theme) - and she smiled so pretty this year!

Visiting someone in the hospital

My granny had to be in the hospital last week so I wanted to take her some things to make her stay a little nicer. I'm hoping to make my own stay a little nicer in a few weeks, too, so any ideas are welcome! This is what I came up with.

The rooms themselves are always so sterile, it's nice to have some little luxuries around.

• A nice pillowcase
• colorful placemats for the bed tray
• a small vase with flowers for the tray (large arrangements are wonderful, but too big to go next to your plate)
• a subtle room or linen spray
• maybe even a personal cd player with a cd of soothing sounds (my granny and I both love thunderstorm sounds)

Snack food is a good option, just keep in mind any dietary restrictions the patient might have. But even when the patient can't snack, the family members staying with them might appreciate a quick bite they can grab without leaving the room...

• fresh fruit or veggies that won't be messy - grapes, baby carrots, or strawberries don't even leave a peel - in a resealable container
• chocolate!
• granola or cereal bars
• cookies and a small jar of peanut butter (and a plastic knife)

Pampering products usually lift a person's spirits.

• lotions (unscented unless you're pretty sure the patient will love the scent)
• chapstick
• super fluffy socks

Entertainment...there's only so much tv a person can watch!

• playing cards (and offer to play a game while you visit)
• beautiful magazines that don't require any deep thought
• crossword puzzle books or even coloring books and crayons (not just for kids!)

And the thing I appreciate the most in hospital is good company!

A Mermaid Birthday

What a fun party! Some things got done and some didn't...but everyone (including Mommy) relaxed and had fun so I'm counting it as a total success. And I stayed on budget - less than $30 for everything except gifts.

An ocean cake was blue, green, and purple on the inside. And this recipe for frosting really didn't melt, although it wasn't the yummiest I've ever had.

Brenna helped design her own invitations

We printed a mermaid picture and she colored it with a little help. I scanned them and had them printed (free prints from CVS), then we attached cardstock to make postcards.

No need for planned games. Casey set up sprinklers and kiddie pools...along with water guns and soaker balls, they kept the kids busy for two hours!

Instead of sending the kids home with candy and cheap junky toys, we gave each boy a watergun and each girl got a bubble wand. It may have cost a little bit more, but since we only had a few kids I was happy to skip all that sugar:)

Highlight of the day for me...Casey getting in the kiddie pool to play:)

Group photo

Thanks to my mother's generosity and my sister's gentle prodding:) we finally got pictures of all four (clean and combed!) kiddies. If you're an aunt or grandma who hasn't gotten your copy in the mail...well, that's because I haven't mailed them yet. Please do not hold your breath! But I promise I will get them to you asap(when there are four small children involved!).

How we had the perfect wedding without breaking the bank

Please ignore the crayon specks from my scanner :)

Brenna asked to watch our wedding video the other day. She loves to see us all dressed up and even likes to plan her own wedding. "I'm going to wear a big white dress like you, Mommy, but I'm not going to invite those noisy kids (her much older cousins)."
So I've been thinking how much I loved our wedding and how happy I still am about how it turned out. We spent about a 10th of the national average (and by we, I mostly mean my parents, who would've been happy to spend more-they're very generous like that). So how was it that we spent less and yet I'm still thrilled with it almost 12 years later? Especially considering that, since then, I've heard brides complaining at their own reception!
I think the most important thing we did was consider very carefully what kind of wedding we really wanted. Casey wanted only close family and friends - there were literally only a handful of people he felt had to be there. I wanted the whole thing to feel very homemade and familiar. And I knew I wanted our families to be very involved.
Small and homemade is naturally going to be less expensive than big and fancy! In fact, I skipped invitations entirely and either called or hand wrote notes to everyone. But we still had to figure out the details. We picked a date two days after Christmas, which worked out perfectly, even though it seemed crazy at the time. My granny provided most of the decorations just by moving her Christmas decorations to the rustic log cabin we rented for the ceremony and reception. I use the term rented pretty loosely there - I don't actually remember if we paid anything for it at all. And it was a Boy Scout cabin. But after (a lot of) cleaning it worked fine. I had a sentimental attachment to the cabin because we'd had my dad's welcome home party there when he came back from Desert Storm. And it was perfect for a Christmas wedding.
The flowers were one place I bucked all the money saving advice. I wanted real! My aunt was working with flowers at the time and I talked her into making my bouquet. We bought white roses (and pink for my little sister) and baby's breath and my aunt used greenery trimmed from ivy and ferns. We bought a few red roses for the men and that was it. My grandmother rescued the ivy (which represents fidelity, by the way) for me and rooted it so we both have all the ivy we could ever want.
My grandmother also made my wedding dress for me. She'd been sewing for me since I was born and I picked a pretty simple pattern. It also left her with extra fabric to make dedication gown for me when Levi was born. It's all about the sentimental stuff with me:) I slapped together my own headpiece at the last minute by attaching tulle and seed pearls to a ivory satin barrette.
Casey found a tux he really liked at the local bridal shop and rented it (after we looked at every suit in the mid-state area). His bestman rented the same one and my dad and brother both wore their military uniforms. My sister was my maid of honor, even though she was just seven and my uncle told her that if I backed out, she would have to marry Casey! My mom bought her a very cute Christmas dress that matched our colors and she got a little more wear out of.
The cake was my only disappointment. I asked at two bakeries about having a red velvet wedding cake and neither would do it! Since we were running out of time I ordered a regular white cake and had a red velvet groom's cake made for Casey. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have pushed harder:) "Different" wedding cakes are all the rage now...I was just ahead of my time:) But it did turn out nicely. We had the bakery frost the layers very simply and not stack them, then another aunt made floral toppers and we put them on pedestals of varying heights. Actually the pedestals were upside-down vases temporarily attached to glass plates.
The food was lots of fun...my dad and I made the majority of it the night before. I just thought of all my Christmas favorites (fudge, shrimp cocktail dip, apple cider, etc!) and we fancied it up as we went along! We borrowed lace tablecloths from everyone.
My mother really splurged on a photographer (not the one who took the above picture!). She's still splurging on pictures for me to this day! And my brother in law volunteered to video the whole thing for us. Unfortunately, my granny made him set up at the back so you can't really hear us, but you can hear my noisy nephews:) I'm glad to have the video because Brenna loves to watch it, but I probably wouldn't have paid for one. The pictures, though, I love.
I love weddings...I would love to get married again someday! But I'd always pick Casey:)

Reading about boys

Finding out that baby #5 is boy #4 has renewed my determination to raise Godly young men. That, and an influx of jokes about various bodily functions at my dinnertable, made Kay West's How to Raise a Gentleman required reading last week. Each chapter details manners for different situations - everything from sleepovers to sportsmanship. I don't think I can say I learned anything new - my mom was big on manners - but it was wonderfully fun to read through and I really needed the reminders.
My aunt's two boys have incredible manners - not just that they say "yes, ma'am" instead of "yeah," but also the way that they hop up to give up their seat or help entertain my kids without being asked. They're both exceptionally considerate and that's something I really hope my boys will learn.
I'm also re-reading two other books on raising boys. James Dobson's Bringing Up Boys and Raising a Modern Day Knight, both of which are really good.

25 Week Update and other stuff

Our homeschool group's end of the year picnic was last week at a beautiful park near the river. We all had a blast, but it was hot in the sunshine! Christian had a lot of fun checking out other people's picnic baskets (maybe his nickname should be Yogi?) and chasing bubbles.

Week 25 has gotten here pretty quick. Only about 14 weeks left! The last week has been a little rough - I had some nerve pain from the old csection scar that was not fun and I've had pretty bad morning sickness for the last two days. But, overall, this has just been such an easy pregnancy compared to what I'm used to! I can't believe this little guy will be here so soon! Lots to do before I'm too big to do much of anything!

In the meantime I'm busy planning a Mermaid birthday party, trying to keep the kids busy without schoolwork to do, reading fifty books with the kids for the library's reading club, figuring out how to make Father's Day extra special this year and trying to watch the first two seasons of Jericho on Netflix - I missed it when it was on tv. Hmm, that's weird. It doesn't sound as exciting when I write it all down.

Getting ready for baby, part II

Baby books alway have a list of things to do before you have a baby but I've noticed that they aren't as helpful as they could be and they're almost always written for first time moms. Some of these are things I've never seen in a magazine, but I'll be so glad they're done!

• wash all the (boy!) baby clothes and baby sheet and receiving blankets


• get the cradle all ready (make it up with layers - sheet, waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, etc to make changing the bed in the middle of the night a little easier)


• sterilize the breast pump just in case


• pack a baby kit with nail clippers, infant tylenol, mylicon drops, thermometer, nose suction bulb thing, etc)


• make a new baby carrier (I make ones like this wrap and pouches like this one - they're so easy!)


• declutter everything I can find to declutter!


• make a thank you note/birth announcement kit - something I can take to the hospital - with pens, notes, addressed envelopes, stamps, etc all in one place


• pack a hospital bag with lots of little extras to make my stay a little more relaxing...especially takeout menus (hospital food is enough to make me want to take my iv and go home) and homemade granola


• charge batteries for the camera and video camera


• stock the pantry and the freezer with meals for at least three weeks


• make plans for the kids (who will be with them and when they'll come to the hospital)


• dig out some comfy non-maternity clothes to wear for those first weeks when nothing fits


• move Christian into the big boy room and a big boy bed...I won't be able to lift him in and out of the crib and, by moving him before the baby's born we avoid the "who's this new kid taking my bed?" problem


• start drinking red raspberry leaf tea


• look for ways to boost milk supply

Well, that should keep me busy for awhile. But if anyone thinks of anything else they would do to get ready, I'd love to hear it.

Baby News

The ultrasound waiting room was a bit crowded...my parents, sister, grandmother, and all four kiddies waited to hear...

A brand new baby boy is on his way! Brenna was briefly disappointed at not getting a baby sister, but she seems to be enjoying her "only girl" status for now.

ed to add...we could not get a good picture of his face or profile so we have a wonderful shot of his little bitty foot and side (3d? or 4d?) picture of his hands over his ears, his body and little knee. Are we that loud already little guy?

Getting ready for baby

My parents went home yesterday. We had such a great visit...I'm always sad when they leave so I try to get busy doing something right away to take my mind off of it. Luckily, I have plenty to keep busy with. Besides trying to do some fixing up around the house, I have a baby to get ready for!

I started a list yesterday of things to do/buy/find before this little guy gets here. You would think with baby #5 that I would have everything all ready, but we've gotten to the point where a lot of our baby things are actually worn out!

Here are the necessities I need to have on hand...some I just have to unpack, but some I need to buy. Hopefully I'll have time to find some good deals!

• diapers, 4 packs (these I have already, thanks to Kroger coupons I only paid $1 per pack)


• wet wipes, 2 packs (for newborns I usually use water and old baby washcloths as much as possible so I don't need as many of these)


• new washcloths for baby baths


• nursing pads and nursing bras (at least 2, 3 is better)


• bottles (when Christian was born, I did not have a single bottle in the house...in my defense he was the first baby that I actually needed a bottle for)


• a new carseat (convertible or infant? I still can't decide)


• pack-n-play (I have a cradle that I love for my room, but I want something to keep in the toy room as well. A pack-n-play will also help corral a crawling baby during school time)


• baby swing (we have been through two of these! my kids love them)


• "new" dvds for the big kids, especially for the trips (an hour one way) to and from the hospital


• coloring books, crayons and other activities to keep the kids busy


• snack things that will be easy to grab for me and the kids


• pantry necessities for the first month or two and things that will make housekeeping easier...paper plates, paper towels, laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, toiletries and TP

Whew! And that's just the stuff to gather! The list to do is even longer so I think Ill make it a separate post. I know (and as my friends say, I speak from experience here!) getting this stuff taken care of now makes bringing a new baby home so much easier!

Homeschool Science Day

Our homeschool group invited Dr Craig Anderson to give a one-day science presentation - from all I've heard it was a huge hit! Casey took the day off to go with Levi and they both had a great time! I'm so glad that Levi had an exciting science experience since science is really not my thing:) But, considering what a great time they had, I might have to check it out myself next year!

Trip to the barbershop...in Georgia

Casey and I took the boys to get haircuts last weekend. They love going to the barbershop because afterwards we stop by the hot dog stand next door so everyone was in good spirits...until Casey opened the car door. He calmly turned to me and said "don't freak out" (how well he knows me) "but there's a snake out here." In the parking lot. Where I had to put my actual feet and my precious children's feet. I was, in fact, about to freak out. Thankfully the snake was very dead...something I had Casey verify before I'd get out of the car. He handled it so well that the kids were totally unfazed. I, however, had to record the moment with photographic evidence that I had, in fact, been this close to a real snake.
It turns out that one of the barbers had killed the snake by his pond and brought it to work to mess with people (um, way to drum up business...put a deadly rattlesnake in front of the door). It was kind of funny, once we were safely inside and divided by glass from the dead snake, to see other people react...especially the grown man who lit out down the street running and left his friend to stumble across the rattler himself.

Fixing up the house

This is a picture of the house when we moved in. We've (well, Casey's) done lots of work, but it still looks a little too...new. Hopefully I can dress it up a little more.

Now that we are winding up school for the year, I decided to spend some time thinking about how to get the house in shape over our summer break. I went through each room thinking about what needed to be done and then tried to decide what I might actually be able to get done:) I have had a much easier pregnancy so far this time as far as being sick goes, but my energy level is usually pretty low. I hope having a plan will help me get more done on those days when I have a burst of nesting energy.

I thought of dividing up the summer and doing one room each week. That sounds so organized and efficient, doesn't it? But I work better if I go with my mood and inspiration. When I'm in the mood to work on dressing up the back porch, but it isn't the week I have scheduled for the back porch, then I'll wind up not working on the porch or whatever was on the schedule - nothing gets done!

So I'll look over the list every day and see if there's anything I can get done that day. And I'll have a better idea what supplies to be on the lookout for - fabric for curtains, a pretty planter for the front porch. And, hopefully, once I get in the flow of getting things done, I'll have more energy to move on to the next thing.

For now I'm going to post a few inspirational links so I can find them when I'm drawing a blank on a project.

I really need something for some organization in our play/school room. I also need something large to fill in a big empty wall. One wall has my office-in-an-armoire, but the other wall has toys all lined up in a row - not cute.

See The Nester's kitchen curtains? I think I need them...only blue. And stainproof.

The blue in my living room is too dark, but I love this lighter, summery shade. I'm sure blue and brown is not "in" anymore, but I love it. Now if I just had Meredith's knack for finding beautiful stuff at the thrift store!

I've been dying to do this to the mirror in our guest bathroom. The mirror in our bedroom has two gold mirrors hanging on top of it, which I like so I don't want to mess with it, but this will definitely look better than the mirror in the guest bath.

I need inspiration for lots of other places - the front porch, the back deck, my bedroom! But for now I think I have plenty to get started:)

Keeping Levi busy

Levi's spending a lot of his time working with k'nex. This is his latest creation, for which he wanted a grade - an A of course! We're winding down school for the year so he's finding himself with a little more freetime these days.

In the meantime, I'm finishing up planning for next year and making long lists of things I'd like to get done before Quincy gets here (Quincy means number five, but I have to say we will not actually be naming the baby Quincy - no offense to anyone named Quincy). My brain seems to be working fine, but I'm still to tired to carry out any of my big plans. Hopefully, with plans in place, I can at least get the most important stuff done in those rare bursts of energy.

I'm almost 20 weeks (later this week) - halfway there! We're all sooo excited to have the next sonogram (in two weeks) and see what we can find out about this little guy or girl. Either way we're going to celebrate by trying out the Johnny's Pizza across the street from my doctor's office. For someone who's never been there, Jack is very excited about Johnny's Pizza.

What's in Your Book Basket?

I love books. I especially love finding children's books that the kids and I all enjoy so when I saw this post over at The Happy Houswife's it was just the kick in the pants I needed to share some of the giant stack of books we brought home this week.
Spring Story by Jill Barklem. Brenna and I love these little books about the mice of Brambley Hedge. The artwork is gorgeous and their little homes are so neat and orderly and beautiful. Is it odd that the housekeeping of mice inspires me? I think yes.
The Quiet Way Home by Bonny Becker. I saw this one over at The Homespun Heart and thought it would be perfect for Brenna and I to read. Jack liked it too. It's especially good to read when we're winding down for Quiet Rest Time.
I checked out Sky Tree, My Favorite Tree and Franklin Plants a Tree to read for Arbor Day. We haven't read the Franklin book before but Sky Tree and My Favorite Tree are favorites. Sky Tree is full of beautiful artwork and science. Science is not usually my thing, but this book even holds my attention. My Favorite Tree has lovely pictures and lots of facts about 27 trees native to North America, including Hawaii. It doesn't include my favorite tree, the Pecan, but it does have the Dogwood and that's a close second:)
We also got Little Farm By the Sea. I just love this book. I talked about it before here. I need to just buy this - we've checked it out a couple of times this year. It always makes me wish we had a farm (I know in real life I couldn't pull it off, but I love the idea!).
I also got lots of homeschooling books to gear me up for planning next year. I got a good start on that the other day when Casey kept the kids to give me a little quiet planning time. I was astonished at how much I got done without anyone around. And we got books on the Celts since that's what we're studying for history. And a math book called A Place for Zero that Levi is reading now. And a bunch more that I don't remember! I know we could homeschool without the library, but I sure am glad we don't have to!

A Post About Everything

It's busy and messy and busy around here. We had a great time last week at our homeschool group's Easter Party and spending time with friends who were on Spring Break. I even skipped lessons for a few days so we're making them up this week during our Spring Break:) But all's not lost, we're still taking it easy.
We only have a few weeks left for school this year so I'm doing my annual look back-look forward thing. Casey's given me a day off this weekend to go and sit and plan for next year - I'm borrowing the fellowship hall at my church where I'll have lots of space to spread out (and where it will be QUIET!). Things like this make me so grateful that Casey talked me into getting a laptop:)
We're going to my aunt's house for Easter this year, which is also my birthday! We usually go to my sister-in-law's house so this will be a change for us, but it will be so nice to visit with family that we rarely get to see. But I still haven't decided what to bring!
My new pantry is all set up...I'm anxious to finish the curtains so I can post pictures (if I can get my camera to work). The extra storage space is soooo nice.
I'm 17 weeks long this week so it's time for a little more blood work. I've been taking chlorophyll this time when I remember and so far it really seems to be helping. I'm still quite tired, quite often, but I'm not anemic and that's a big deal for me:) Almost halfway there!
Well, all's quiet here so I think I may take a little QRT myself :)

Still here...

It's been busy around our house lately. I seem to have just enough energy each day to get the absolute necessities done and then I crash. But I am feeling somewhat better than in the last few weeks. The house still has several areas that need attention, but a woman I don't know well used my bathroom yesterday and I didn't die from embarrassment. She had come with her husband to look at Casey's truck and they bought it. Since Casey cut out his side business, a truck isn't really a necessity anymore and with our family growing a bigger vehicle will be a nice change of pace.
I'm working on organizing lunch for our homeschool group's Easter Party. I've put meals together at church tons of times and I didn't expect this to be much different. But after I'd volunteered (read: opened my big mouth), I realized I had no idea how this group usually organized anything. We've been involved for about a year now, but we've never even been to a big get together with food. So I talked to one of the "founding members" and I think I have the kinks worked out. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
In the meantime I'm juggling doctor's appointments for me, weighing the pros and cons of having the triple screen test, and getting ready for Easter. Oh and sorting the kids clothes - it's getting hot here!

I got SOMETHING done!

The house was beginning to fall in around our ears. Between being sick (although not as debilitating as usual) and the exhaustion, the piles had started to pile up. Case in point, our bedroom...

Not exactly the peaceful retreat I had in mind. The corner chair and duck pictures are, ahem, not necessarily my style. They're very sentimental though and they make a nice corner for Casey when the chair isn't piled high with laundry. I have ideas for pillows and a throw that might help.

But for now I focused on the dresser. SO much better...

The vase is one the kids gave me for Mother's Day and the lamp belonged to my aunt - it's just needed a new shade. I've actually added just a teeny bit more - a blue and white figurine that plays my parent's wedding song (I'm not sure how I talked my mom out of that, but I've had it forever) and a porcelain baby doll that Brenna and I share. It's only a few inches tall and we like to hold it and talk about how big the new baby is right now. Hopefully it will survive until she's expecting her first baby and then I can pass it along.

With this project finished, I'm working on a few others in my bedroom and in the kitchen. I'm slower than usual, but it feels good to get something done:)

Good reading

I stumbled across this really pertinent article and thought I'd share it. I've noticed lately a bit of the sense of entitlement Miss Terry is talking about in our family. This post was a nice reminder about why we want to nip that in the bud.
Here's another excellent post on the topic.