A Quiet Weekend

Just what the doctor (aka mom) ordered! A quiet weekend with little obligations...they don't come around very often, and it's going to be awhile before we get another one! We spent the weekend playing lots, hanging out together and cleaning up the house just a bit. We finished off our Sunday afternoon of cleaning and grocery shopping (the store was INSANE!) with a dinner out together!

What a great weekend! Here's a few pictures from a weekend long project and enjoyment as a family: Marbleworks! What a great Christmas present for the whole family (thanks mom and dad!)

It was a favorite of mine growing up and as you can see from the pictures it's a favorite of the kids already...and Nick does most of the building! I think he'll be sad when they start insisting on building their own!

Love the Spiderman muscles!

You can see the marble flying through the air in this one!

Thankful Thursdays

Is it Thursday already? I guess I'm thankful for this week flying by...it's been a busy one! I had a meeting at church on Tuesday and another one tonight...it's tough going out in the evening, but it's nice to miss the craziness of bedtime. Not that the kids are asleep when I get home, but they're in pjs, teeth brushed and anxiously awaiting their kisses from me when I get home.

What I'm most thankful for this week is actually not here yet...it's what I'm anticipating...a QUIET WEEKEND!!! Nick and I sat down last night to connect about schedules, (yep it's been that busy!) and we realized that we have no commitments all weekend! We have a free Friday night, my short Bible Study Saturday morning and Church on Sunday...yes, that is something everyday...but not much!

I am so excited for a nice quiet weekend at home as a family. What is most exciting is the idea of organizing! We arranged for a friend to take the kids on Monday so we can clean out the guest room closet and playroom without any comments from little people...I'm so excited to get started on this project and super excited to have less and more organized toys!

I'm also thankful that I gained 1/2 a pound...that may be a strange thing to be thankful for, but my weight has consistently been up a little this week and I think it's a great sign!

Lots to be thankful for in the midst of the winter doldrums....things like a helpful husband who puts boots on kids and takes them for a walk at the end of a restless day inside....warm drinks...and grapes finally going on sale at the grocery store. It's been a week full of thanksgiving at our house....what are you thankful for?

Wordless Wednesday

Lucy at the dentist with "Duckie" the class mascot.

Lucy LOVES the dentist!

Brothers and Sisters

Growing up in a house with girls made me acutely aware of what life was like with sisters...the good, the bad...and the ugly (which usually involved borrowing someones clothes without asking). Now having Lucy and Murray I'm introduced to a whole new world of brothers and sisters and what they bring to the table for each other!

A few things I've learned is that they expose each other to things they wouldn't know about if they were both boys...or both girls...here's a few examples...

Murray loves playing with Lucy's doll house and Barbies...princesses...

really anything. I love to find him by himself playing in her room.

Wrestling! This has been such a great one to watch develop. As

Murray has grown, they've started wrestling more on their own

without Nick home...it's funny to see Murray start to be able to

"take Lucy down" and Lucy struggle to keep up with

his intensity...but she's still in the game!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures...just a few things the kids have been up to lately that make me enjoy them and the ways they're growing!

Thankful Thursdays

Snowflakes: they're little, but very interesting. At church we have one of those motivational posters that says "One of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together". It's a cheesy saying, but the picture is beautiful, a field covered in snow with a giant snow covered tree in the middle of it.

Another thing that comes to mind when I think of snowflakes are how people always talk about no 2 are the same. It's amazing that of the millions of snowflakes that fall from the sky during a snowstorm, not any 2 are exactly the same. You'd think over the thousands of years it's been snowing, 2 would have to be the same...but no. (Not that I've inspected on a closer level...I'm just going with common belief here).

When I was talking to my doctor on Monday about how strange this pregnancy has been he said...you know what they say about pregnancies...they're like snowflakes...no 2 are the same!

I'm not sure what this has to do about being thankful...I'm sitting here in a relatively quiet house looking out my window at the smallest snowflakes I've ever seen. If you look at the wrong angle you'll miss them...or think they're rain. But as I looked out the back window I saw snow already collecting on the once shoveled clean patio...so they are in deed snowflakes...and they are in deed doing their job!

I'm thankful for a healthy pregnancy, even though I don't feel healthy, the pregnancy is doing what it's supposed to do. The baby is growing and forming and in a few years I'll be listening to this baby talk with a friend or sibling downstairs while I write a blog!

I'm thankful each of my children is unique. While I sometimes see them in each other, or see myself in their actions...or Nick...they're unique. There is no other Lucy or Murray in the world and I love that I get to watch them grow and develop into their own unique person.

Little Things

I read a report in the "Real Simple" magazine a few weeks ago about happiness. It talked about how true happiness is in the little moments of life, we always picture it as a state of being or an achievement...something to strive for...but really it's about different moments throughout the day and how they make you feel, how you respond to them.

When I read this article I was laying in bed exhausted, sick and struggling to make it through each day. I thought it was very interesting, but didn't reflect on it much at the time.

Today I feel I'm turning a corner.

Today I feel like I am having more and more moments of happiness. Moments of joy in my day...while each day is still taking much more effort than a normal day should, I'm once again able to appreciate the time I have with each of my children.

Murray and I had an hour after his nap today before Nick and Lucy came home. We read books together, played "monster" a game where he covers my face and I roar at him when he pulls the blanket off (just not too loud b/c "it hurts my ears" he says), and then we played hockey and just snuggled.

Lucy has just been a joy. Aside from spilling a bowl of tomato soup on the floor she has been a great listener and just a joy to watch. She's so into her crafts, and she worked her way through a PuzzleBuzz magazine today. She's been really into helping with chores in the evening so we go to bed with a clean house.

Lucy also just came down a few minutes ago saying she had a bad dream (I'm doubtful she had fallen asleep yet). She then proceeded to tell me in detail about all these "mean pigs" and the things they were doing...throwing mud etc. By the time she went up to bed she was snuggly and giggly...I'm fairly certain I'll have a little girl to snuggle with when I go up to bed in a few minutes!

My kitchen counters are organized and wiped off thanks to a fun phone call with a friend that kept me moving around.

Nick made sure dinner was cooked and on the table before he left for youth night...and we had a great time cooking together and talking about our day while we did!

So, while this is still a tough pregnancy and I'm not going to jump ahead and say I'm feeling great...I am going to enjoy the little things. The parts of my day that remind me of all the happiness in my life!

Happiness is not a constant state...if it were, we would lose the joy in feeling happy. What a blessing to be able to enjoy a few moments of happiness even if they seem to be fleeting. Hang onto those moments...and just hope they continue to grow...the more moments you have...the happier you'll be :)

Wordless Wednesday

13 week Ultrasound

The baby is laying face down with a hand up by his/her face

Doctor Appointments

I went to the doctor this morning for my check up. I'm 13.5 weeks and things are going well as far as the baby is concerned. My diligence has paid off and although I've been feeling awful and haven't kept all my meals in, I've maintained my weight throughout the first trimester so the doctor is super happy with that. He says hopefully my placenta will take over monitoring hormones soon and I'll start feeling better. I'm hopeful!

The baby is measuring about a week small, but the doctor assured me that at this point in the pregnancy the measurements aren't always accurate, so we'll just watch and see as the baby gets bigger. Seeing our baby on the screen this morning and hearing the heart beat made all the nauseas feelings worth it! That's what I need to keep remembering...that this feeling of being sick is temporary and the joy of another child will completely replace these yucky feelings.

My next appointment is February 21st and it will be gender day! We're so excited and I think even Lucy and Murray will come to see the baby on the ultrasound and find out if they're having a brother or a sister...then the name wars...errr...discussion can begin!

Along with a baby doctor appointment this morning Nick and I are meeting our new doctors this afternoon and now, while dressing Murray we noticed a rash, so we're headed to the pediatrician this afternoon as well. It's a day of doctors, but at least it started out well, so hopefully all the other appointments will go well also!

We got a great ultrasound picture this morning, so we'll try to get it scanned and posted this week! Such an exciting time!

Thankful Thursdays

Today I am thankful that Nick is home this evening. It means I can go to bed when the kids do without listening for anyone sneaking out of their beds. I'm thankful that Murray played nicely all day without a nap...so hopefully he will go to sleep without any issues tonight, he's exhausted.

I'm also thankful that I finished a birthday cake in 1 day! While my house is still messy and I have a super busy day tomorrow so I'm not totally sure how it will get cleaned before company arrives Saturday afternoon, I made a super fun birthday cake.

Tomorrow morning I'll be sewing with a friend, then delivering the cake. Our Friday evening will be spent cleaning. Once again I'll be thankful Nick does not have any evening commitments.

Well, all that being said, it's time for me to take my cup of tea up to my bed and relax...I'm hoping to get a full night of sleep in!!

Here's the cake...I started around noon today and finished it this evening!

Love it!

Wordless Wednesday

Because I've missed a few weeks....

Thankful Thursdays

I am so thankful for my children and their young ages, their willingness to help and their ability to forget my moments of insanity and love me anyway.

I am so thankful for a loving friend who will listen to me rant about a "molehill" as if it were a "mountain" for 45 minutes while I pick up my house as though the world is going to end.

I am so thankful for my husband (who was gone during the rant but came home to a much calmer, more tired...yet still very emotional wife), who is able to hear the words asking for help and gladly offer it.

I'm so thankful for a good night of sleep and a fresh perspective.

Mostly, I'm thankful for answered prayers and my ability to go to the Lord when I'm struggling the way I was last night.

Today is a new day, I have a bit more energy and while I'm just beginning to feel the nausea seeping in, I've had a much better day with the kids, with the house and with myself.

I'm even hopeful to post a few pics I'm behind on later...so check back :)

Perspective

I'm in need of some perspective this week. I'm feeling overwhelmed with life, and while I know I have it pretty great, it's hard to put it in perspective. It's hard to think that I'm blessed to have this baby growing inside of me, when each day I'm counting the calories I'm able to keep down, watching my weight to make sure it's maintained...it's not even going up, just staying the same.

It's hard to look around at all the things I desire to do and stand up to do a few of them, only to reach exhaustion and nausea within a few minutes. It's hard to imagine this could be the new norm, that somehow amidst these feelings I need to be a better disciplinarian, a better wife, and a better housekeeper. I try to think of how great I'll feel when either this morning sickness leaves or the baby arrives. I think new baby exhaustion would be a welcome relief to the flu like feelings I'm having these days.

Here's where I need the perspective. I need help remembering that this is a blessing. That some way I need to find comfort in my sickness, to know that while I'm barely maintaining my weight, I'm not losing...my baby is getting the calories and nutrients it needs to grow stronger each day. I need to focus on serving the Lord with gladness even on days when I feel there is nothing to be glad about.

I hope I start feeling better soon. I want to be up to taking pictures of the kids and posting them, of playing and doing projects with the kids without it resulting in exhaustion and puking. Maybe one day I'll even be able to do a full grocery run and shop for an hour and not puke at the end of it....I just need to put it all in perspective...

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I'm hoping with the return of a schedule this week, and moving out of my first trimester that this New Year will also bring renewed energy....I'm hopeful, and optimistic...but still skeptical! So far this pregnancy I've lost 2 lbs, gained a belly and taught Lucy the joys of breakfast in bed....even if it's only slightly buttered toast. She's also learned that sometimes mommy's get sick when a baby is in their belly. Murray is still oblivious to what is going on. Oh well, he'll figure it out soon enough, if not as my belly grows he'll be in for a rude awakening in July with this one decides to make an appearance and turn his world upside down.

New Year's is a mark for new beginnings for so many people, but it's also a time for reflection. I tend to usually fall into the reflection category. It's hard for me to see the new calendar as a new beginning, I feel like life adds "fresh starts" in more natural ways than a day on the calendar. It is however impossible as a mom to not look at a "holiday" and remember what the past year was like with your kids and be in awe of how they have grown and changed.

We had New Year's Eve at a friend's house about an hour away. Last year they came to our house and spent the night. Last year she was newly pregnant with their son, and didn't even know it yet! We spent the evening drinking wine coolers and reorganizing my kitchen since Nick had just "finished" the remodel. The boys looked after the kids and when they were tucked in their beds brewed Nick's first batch of bear.

Last year we celebrated New Year with an almost toddler (Lisa's), a 1 year old (Murray), a 3 year old (Lucy) and a 4 year old (Lisa's). This year we had 5 kids ranging from 6 to the newest one who is just 4 months old. What a difference a year makes! The kids could play all by themselves. The toddlers are true second children and are much better at sharing and interacting than their older sister's were at this age. At one point the adults were eating dinner with the baby nearby and all the other kids were playing in the basement!

Lucy and Julia had their first official "sleepover". We've spent the night at each other's houses many times, but last night the girls slept in sleeping bags on the futon in the basement. They went to bed watching a movie after getting their finger nails painted and eating popcorn.

I look at Lucy and Murray and can't believe the independence they've each gained. I can't imagine Murray not being able to tell his jokes, and communicate so effectively. Lucy is looking bigger and bigger every day. She colors in the lines, and is starting to show personality of a true little girl...both the good and the bad! (she's even started talking back on occasion!) I know every Mom says it, but I really wish I could just pause time for a moment, just freeze my children as they are and keep them innocent and snuggly. At the same time I look forward to what this next year will bring and the memories I'll have to look back on as we ring in a new year again!

What a gift each day is! Right now I will enjoy Lucy singing loudly her version of "Away in a Manger". My favorite line in her medley is "the cattle are flowing". I know next year she will probably be big enough to know that's the incorrect word....but right now she can just sing her little heart out and Nick and I will just cherish her honest love for our Lord.

I'm doing my best to cherish and enjoy Murray's need and desire for Mommy to help him do everything. It may make the days long, but there will come a day when he won't let me kiss him goodnight or help him button his pants. I know when these days come I'll look back and yearn for the moments I'm enjoying now.

2011 will certainly bring many new beginnings at our house. We'll reach each one and cherish the changes, but right now I'm happy to remember how far we've come in 2010.