Nesting, Part 1: This Nesting Thing Is Already Getting Out of Hand

I'm just about half-way through my third pregnancy, and I'm nesting. Already. I'm itching to get things organized, cleaned, and settled for the next phase of our familiy's life.

But there are a number of things I feel it's just too early to do. For example, we plan to move the kids into their new rooms sometime after Christmas, which, at the earliest, is still more than two months away. And I don't want to wash the baby clothes until much closer to his or her arrival. And setting up the bassinet would just create something more to dust in the weeks ahead.

So, what can I do now? Learn something new and matronly!

Yesterday I taught myself how to knit. I've been feeling crafty, and I've always wanted to know how to knit. With the weather turning cooler (or downright cold, as it has snowed several times this month now), I figured knitting would be ideal for this season and this season of life.

I've been told that knitting is so easy, and I could teach myself. I had my doubts. But yesterday I splurged on a $2 skein of yarn (see, I'm already speaking the lingo) in these irresistible Fall colors and a $2 pair of knitting needles at Walmart. After lunch, while Joey was sleeping and Lucy was playing quietly by herself, I sat down with my recent purchase and my dear friend, the Internet.

The written instructions and illustrations were completely useless for me, but thankfully we live in the age of YouTube and other video instruction. I spent about an hour watching different clips and finally settled on one that was well-lighted, unassuming, and slow enough for me to actually observe what was going on.

John and I both had to laugh out loud later as I found myself resting my hands on my pregnant belly, sitting in the rocking chair, knitting. Whoa.

So this charming little scarf you see in the above photo may (someday) be adorning my neck. Hopefully before the season for wearing Fall colors has passed.

Summertime is fading fast

We had a cold spell about a week ago, and I thought for sure that Autumn had arrived. Actually, with the snow falling last Tuesday I though we went straight to winter and skipped Fall altogether. But it warmed up over the weekend and has been sunny and gorgeous for the last few days here in the Front Range.

However, our dear forecaster tells me it's soon to become much more Autumn-like. And since tomorrow is the 1st of October I suppose it's justified.

We've practically been forcing the kids to play outside until it's nearly too dark to see, knowing that soon enough we'll be trapped inside and driving each other batty. Bike rides, kite flights, long walks and plenty of time on the playgrounds. It's all been so nice. *sigh*

Here are a few captured moments of them taking advantage of the last days of the summery warmth:

Taking turns with wagon rides is fantastic, particularly because on this day my only involvement was behind the camera lens.

And who knew this backyard chunky plastic $5 garage sale find would provide hours -- literally HOURS -- of entertainment for the kids.

Perhaps not quite as intended, but if they're happy, I'm happy.

So goodbye, Summer. We look forward to catching glorious glimpses of you amidst our Rocky Mountain winter...

For the Joy of Sprinklers

Last week our sweet little neighbor boy turned four years old. His parents came up with the most appropriate celebration for him that I think I may have ever witnessed. Some kids have an infatuation with super heroes or princesses, baseball or butterflies. But for a few, it goes beyond mere enjoyment to reaching levels of obsession.

For Zane, that obsession is sprinklers.

He knows what time each house on the block has their sprinklers programed to turn on. He knows what kind of sprinkler heads they have and what sound they make. He knows what aisle the sprinkler systems are sold at Home Depot and he begs his mom to buy him sprinkler heads when they go. And most of all, he knows how much fun he has playing in the spraying water.

So for his birthday celebration, his mom asked our whole block to turn on the sprinklers in our front yards at precisely 6:30 pm. It was THE perfect way to help them celebrate! We were all out to witness his reaction. (And of course for the cupcakes promised afterward.)

Joy doesn't cover it. Bliss would not be a sufficient word. Glory might come close. Zane was beside himself as he ran from yard to yard.

Judging from the grin that never left his face, he was the happiest four-year-old. Ever.

What brings you that kind of joy? What makes you smile and laugh, no matter how often you see or feel or experience it? Don't you wish we could all live life as if we are looking forward to a sprinkler party? Or better yet, as if the whole block had sprinklers on, and knowing those sprinklers were turned on just for us...

Book review: Fearless

Are you controlled by fear? Is it your default reaction? In our world, financial ruin, illness, death of a loved one, or even the end of the world can consume our thoughts. Maybe you fear that you don’t matter, that God is disappointed in you, or even that God doesn’t exist.

Max Lucado’s newest book Fearless addresses fear as corrosion of our trust in God. “Fear may fill our world, but it doesn’t have to fill our hearts,” he writes. He discusses what the Bible has to say specifically about each of many reasons for fear and presents practical ideas on conquering those fears with God’s help, such as prayer and recalling scriptural truth and even hymns.

It’s not an overnight solution, but it’s wonderful place to begin the battle, and an excellent reference tool as each chapter addresses a different fear.

His pages are not just sprinkled but doused with scripture, particularly centered around Jesus’ numerous admonishments to “not fear.”

Lucado’s trademark colorful metaphors will cause you to digest this book slowly. It has encouraged me this week to focus on Jesus when I feel my own fears creeping into my thoughts.

How about you? Are you ready to envision your life without fear?

Coming soon...

Yes, that's right, we are expecting another baby!

To answer your questions....

If all goes as we hope, baby will make his or her appearance in March.
At 12 weeks now, I'm feeling pretty good.
Lucy is thrilled, though she says she wants a sister this time.
Josiah is happily clueless.

As John puts it, we are about to switch from a man-to-man to a zone defense.

We're excited and thankful!

Upside-down?

You could say that I'm adjusting well to having Lucy in school. So far, in the first 12 days, she has not yet been late and I've been there to greet her as soon as her teacher leads the kids out the door. She has been clothed, fed, and her hair has been brushed each morning (except for maybe one). She tells me about new friends and new activities, and recites word-for-word the affirmation she receives from her teacher. (Can you tell what her love language is?) She has made me proud, and since the first day we've had no tears.

But in other ways I definitely feel like the two hours and fourty-five minutes she is gone from us has indeed turned my world upside-down.

For one thing, I bought a watch. And I'm wearing it. After living in Africa, time had much less significance for me, and I could usually find a clock (or cell phone) when I really needed to know the exact hour. After Lucy was born and I was tracking feedings and naps, I worn a watch sporadically, but gave it up again after Joey was born. Now I have a very tight window for dropping Lucy off in the morning (the doors open at 9:05 and close at 9:10!), and I certainly don't want her to be the last one waiting around with her tummy growling for lunch. I've seen a few of those lonely kids, scanning the road and the parking lot for their parents, though I'm sure eventually it'll be mine...

Secondly, I seem to have misplaced my brain among all the papers Lucy has brought home. Granted, I could use the excuse that when the pile was an inch thick, we did have two extra families staying in our home. I guess I was too busy having fun and trying to keep the havoc caused by six adults and five children to a minimum, but it completely slipped by me that school pictures were last Thursday. What was she even wearing?? Was that the day I forgot to brush her hair?! I guess I'll find out eventually. And what?! The paper I got last night and didn't look at until noon today tells me I was supposed to provide the snack for the whole class this morning?! Good thing the teacher keeps an extra large stash of goldfish for just such an occasion. Yes, one particuar day was pretty bad for me, but I think I learned my lesson early on. And I got flowers and chocolate from my hubby that night for sobbing on the phone to him about what a horrible parent I am.

Thirdly, I think Joey has just given up on trying to survive without his sister and declares naptime at 9:30 or 10:00 almost every morning. A few times I've kept him out of the house or come up with something creative to do (like garage sale-ing), but generally he screams "NAAAAAP!!!" until I let him lay down in his crib. This has made for a few interesting afternoons, to say the least.

And lastly, I'm struggling with Lucy's independence. On the second day of school, she told me that I didn't need to go inside with her. I did anyway. She walked right past her classroom. On the third day, she tried again, and this time I quizzed her on where her classroom was, then watched her bouncing ponytail through the window to make sure she got there. Every day since, I stand out on the sidewalk, give her a kiss (thank God she's still letting me do that!), and watch her until she is inside the doors.

This morning she turned and blew me a kiss just before she walked in.

My aching heart melted right there on the sidewalk.

Somehow I think we're going to make it.

I hear Joey waking up from his nap. According to my watch, it's just in time to go pick up Lucy from school.

Lucy's first day of KINDERGARTEN!

Seems like we just met her...

And then I blinked and this happened...

And then she put on her backpack this morning for her first day of Kindergarten...

Look at that smile! She's going to LOVE it!

He's a maniac, MANIAC in the pool

I think the video speaks for itself.




Oh, wait, did you want a rear view, too?



'Nuff said.

Daddy-Daughter camping

Last night presented a grand adventure for Lucy. John came home and asked if she wanted to "go camping" in the backyard.

You should have seen her eyes light up! She's been waiting for this day since a year ago when we moved in and declared the back yard a perfect place for our tent.

From about 5:00 pm on, she kept telling us how "tired" she was, and when was it going to be bedtime? That was a first! It was all she could do to wait.

But first, they set up the tent together.

Then we waited until Joey was in bed before breaking out one of the best combinations ever created: s'mores.

Even though this was for daddy and daughter, I just had to be there to help document the experience. Oh, and s'mores are one of the reasons I love camping to begin with.

Without a place to build a fire, we opted for the open flame of the grill.

Mmmm, gooey goodness!

And then they settled in for the night. I checked on them a few times, looking out the window and seeing the glow of the flashlight casting shadows on the walls of the tent. I wondered if she would ever fall asleep...

John said she feel asleep close to 10pm. I heard them come in at about 6:30 this morning -- she made it all night!

I have a feeling this was just the first of many backyard camping adventures for our family.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Just in case you may have been under the impression that Disney World is the happiest place on earth, let me just be the one to set you straight.

It's Red Robin.

Okay, so it's only been a few decades since my parents took me to Orlando for The Experience, but it's only been a few hours since I've been to Red Robin, and I'm pretty sure my kids would agree with me on this one.

From the moment we set our feet on the asphalt, we could see "Red" at the door, waving and ready to welcome us. Yes, I'm talking about a big guy dressed in shiny yellow tights with a bird's body and blue vest, but I hadn't seen my kids' faces light up like that all day. (And we had a fun day!) They each got a high-five and giggled while "Red" did his little boogie dance before we we ushered inside.

And then there was the food. Lucy was beside herself that she could have grilled cheese for dinner, and Joey was so happy just to be there that he actually ate food. (For those of you who know this boy, you understand what a big deal this is.) Not only did he eat grilled cheese and fries, but he wiggled with glee to whatever 80's tunes were playing over the loud speaker.

As we ended our meal, we were graced once again with the presence of the sleek-legged big red bird and he made the rounds through the tables. You would think our kids gained a personal audience with Mickey Mouse himself.

And then to top it off, they each got a helium balloon on the way out.

For a five-year-old and a two-year-old, it just doesn't get much better than that.

Unless of course, we had allowed them to get that cherry-topped sundae.