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