I need to upload some pictures from my camera to el blog, but until then, here are a few things I love about today:
1) Sunshine and flowers. I'll probably post about this again when I have photos to show for it. It rained and poured every single day last week, but the sun is shining and the world is green and gorgeous again, this week. Bella Vista is in bloom and it is beautiful. I could sing all day long about how much I love the rainbow of tulips in my flower bed.
2) Garden. Yeyah! We've worked hard over the past 3 weeks and the Willy 2012 Garden is going to be delicious. It brings me pure joy to go outside with the kids and answer their little, "what's that? And what's that?" queries as they point out each of the bright green rows of teeny tiny sprouts they have helped plant. My children know where their food comes from, that growing food takes work and diligence, and that every summer a miracle will happen as their little prayers for our family garden are answered and we are blessed with a bumper crop of goodness to enjoy and share. Growing a garden is a simple therapy that teaches many lessons to our family every year.
3) I had a baby check up yesterday and Baby Willy sounds great! I've gained back the weight I lost during the first trimester and there was no sign of keytones in my urine this visit! This is all wonderful news to us and we are so grateful that the hyperemesis has settled into just regular old morning sickness---which is totally manageable! I still get sick with headaches and puke my guts out at least once every single day, but I am able to cook and clean and drive and play and snuggle and live again. We'll find out in 3 weeks if we are having a boy or a girl!
4) The children start swimming lessons at the fitness center tonight. Classes are 45 minutes long, meet once a week, and will last for the next 10 weeks. Corbin turns 3 right before the last day of class, so the director let me add him in, even though he technically is still 2. We'll see how that goes. I'm a little nervous.
5) LDS General Conference is this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. To watch it, click here on Saturday morning. A couple weeks ago in church, we talked about Noah in the Relief Society lesson. He preached repentance for 120 years to the people and when the time came to board the ark only eight people listened. I've been thinking about that as conference approaches and I wonder if I had been alive in Noah's time if I would have listened to his counsel, or laughed with the masses and called him crazy. I'm grateful that I have examples from the scriptures to learn from and can read about the prophecies of ancient prophets being fulfilled. It is so much easier for me to believe in a prophet than it must have been for those people in Noah's time, who were probably filled with regret when it began to rain. I also think about friends of mine who have been the first or only member of their family to convert to the church and how courageous it must be for many of them to believe things that might not have been supported by their families. It's pretty easy for me to live my religion and I don't take that blessing for granted.
1) Sunshine and flowers. I'll probably post about this again when I have photos to show for it. It rained and poured every single day last week, but the sun is shining and the world is green and gorgeous again, this week. Bella Vista is in bloom and it is beautiful. I could sing all day long about how much I love the rainbow of tulips in my flower bed.
2) Garden. Yeyah! We've worked hard over the past 3 weeks and the Willy 2012 Garden is going to be delicious. It brings me pure joy to go outside with the kids and answer their little, "what's that? And what's that?" queries as they point out each of the bright green rows of teeny tiny sprouts they have helped plant. My children know where their food comes from, that growing food takes work and diligence, and that every summer a miracle will happen as their little prayers for our family garden are answered and we are blessed with a bumper crop of goodness to enjoy and share. Growing a garden is a simple therapy that teaches many lessons to our family every year.
3) I had a baby check up yesterday and Baby Willy sounds great! I've gained back the weight I lost during the first trimester and there was no sign of keytones in my urine this visit! This is all wonderful news to us and we are so grateful that the hyperemesis has settled into just regular old morning sickness---which is totally manageable! I still get sick with headaches and puke my guts out at least once every single day, but I am able to cook and clean and drive and play and snuggle and live again. We'll find out in 3 weeks if we are having a boy or a girl!
4) The children start swimming lessons at the fitness center tonight. Classes are 45 minutes long, meet once a week, and will last for the next 10 weeks. Corbin turns 3 right before the last day of class, so the director let me add him in, even though he technically is still 2. We'll see how that goes. I'm a little nervous.
5) LDS General Conference is this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. To watch it, click here on Saturday morning. A couple weeks ago in church, we talked about Noah in the Relief Society lesson. He preached repentance for 120 years to the people and when the time came to board the ark only eight people listened. I've been thinking about that as conference approaches and I wonder if I had been alive in Noah's time if I would have listened to his counsel, or laughed with the masses and called him crazy. I'm grateful that I have examples from the scriptures to learn from and can read about the prophecies of ancient prophets being fulfilled. It is so much easier for me to believe in a prophet than it must have been for those people in Noah's time, who were probably filled with regret when it began to rain. I also think about friends of mine who have been the first or only member of their family to convert to the church and how courageous it must be for many of them to believe things that might not have been supported by their families. It's pretty easy for me to live my religion and I don't take that blessing for granted.
6) Good deals! Katie called to tell me she found cute modest swimsuits for girls at Crazy 8's so I headed down there today. Not only did I luck out with swimwear for my girls, but all of their winter and fall clothes were being clearanced out. This is great for me, since Reese is very picky about clothes and will only knit leggings and cotton shirts with very few exceptions. (karma---I was totally the same child.) I bought several of these exact shirts that she loves for $2 and matching fleece jackets for $4 and the matching hair bows for $1 for her to wear to school in the Fall. Really cute stuff. I got a few outfits for Quincy including sweaters and a dress (with matching bows) for the same prices. How stoked was I when I got to the register and they said everything on sale was an additional 30% off? Oh very excited. I grabbed a few more shirts for the girls to wear this summer including an earth day shirt that Reese is going to have a heart attack over.
7) After shopping we sat in the sun and watched the kids play on the outdoor playground at the mall. Corbin climbed to the top of a "rock" immediately and looked like king of the mountain. I need to remember that my little boy needs to climb and wrestle and have a lot of opportunities to be active. He looked so happy today climbing and sliding and running around with his friends and sister and that makes me happy.
8) I hired a couple of (the best ever) cleaning ladies to come do a deep clean on Monday. I'm looking forward to it, already. Yes, I could scrub my own toilets, and no, my house is not utterly disgusting--it's surprisingly tidy considering what our last 2 months have been like. I'd rather use the hours of energy I have in a day doing fun things like cooking dinner for my family and playing outside in this beautiful weather and making sure the laundry is done (it never ends, does it?) and taking the kids to soccer and swimming lessons. So I hired out and I am not too proud to say it so don't judge. A clean house is very important to us, but scrubbing my shower and mopping the kitchen floor is about all I could do for one day and then I'd need to sit and rest. My kids are more important than a clean floor, so I choose them. But my family still deserves to have a clean floor.
There a saying I see often on the internet that says something like, "Good Moms have messy houses, sticky floors, dirty ovens and happy kids"
That sounds nice, but I don't buy that at all, not for my family anyway. My kids are not happy when our home is messy, and neither am I. We like order. Living in chaos causes contention, frustration, anxiety and serves us poorly. I've let a lot go and sacrificed a lot..and I mean a LOT of things go in order to stay off my feet as much as possible, keep our baby healthy, and survive the past 17 weeks, and Aaron even commented to me last night about how proud he is of me for not killing myself to do things I ordinarily would do. But even he misses our normal routine. Living in a mess does not bless my family. Que Karen and Alma. They are the sweetest women ever and I am already looking forward to having them come bless my home and my family with their love and sparkly magic.
That sounds nice, but I don't buy that at all, not for my family anyway. My kids are not happy when our home is messy, and neither am I. We like order. Living in chaos causes contention, frustration, anxiety and serves us poorly. I've let a lot go and sacrificed a lot..and I mean a LOT of things go in order to stay off my feet as much as possible, keep our baby healthy, and survive the past 17 weeks, and Aaron even commented to me last night about how proud he is of me for not killing myself to do things I ordinarily would do. But even he misses our normal routine. Living in a mess does not bless my family. Que Karen and Alma. They are the sweetest women ever and I am already looking forward to having them come bless my home and my family with their love and sparkly magic.
9) My parents are coming! For the children, this is the most anticipated season of the year. They love spending time with grandparents and already have quite the agenda lined up. Dad, get the score pads ready, we have some games to play...
10) I have a new preschool student starting tomorrow. Another small person in my home to teach and adore. My job is the greatest!
11) My friends, family, and visiting teachers call and check in on me every few days. I think that if there is anything that has kept me out of the hospital so far, it is the love and service of people who care about us. Thanks to everyone who has chipped in. I don't think I have ever been as well cared for as I was in February and March.
12) Reese's bus is almost here, which means I am due for one of the greatest run-to-you-with-open-arms-and-a-big-smile bear hugs ever. Probably my favorite part of the day.
Happy Tuesday.
Happy Tuesday.
Have a good one.
Her Elegance was ushered right to the front of the popcorn line by adoring Belle fans. Quincy shrugged like, "ok, why not?" and waltzed up to the counter like a queen and ordered our popcorn with extra butter and tiny donuts.
Dramatic Play: Bird Watcher prop box (bird cage, identification chart, binoculars, bird calls, safari hat)
Sensory: bean transfer
Mix: 1c shortening, 1c crunchy peanut butter, 1c cornmeal, 2c oats, 1c bird seed, and 1c sugar
Shhhhh…..they’re sleeeeeeeping!
I love this picture of my little chickies. They are so cute when they burst out of their "eggs" and say, "Welcome to the world, baby chickie".
Science: Are chickens birds? We took our charts out to the chicken coop and took a look at the chickens. Does a chicken have a beak? Does it have wings? Did it come from an egg? Does it have feathers? The children were able to determine that yes, chickens are birds.
Corbin named his pacifiers, "Rubbie", as soon as he could speak.
This is a $1/yard strip of fabric that I made into a curtain about 7 years ago. I cheated and didn't even sew it. I folded the top down a couple of inches and ironed it stitch witchery, then slid it onto a little tension rod. It fits perfectly to cover that 10 inch wide gap between the end of our cabinets and our fridge. What's in there? 
I love our trash can for a number of reasons, and was totally stoked to pick up a similar yet newer one at a garage sale for $5. The old one was moved to the garage. It is really helping us (ahem---"us" meaning everyone else in this family.) to keep the cars clean, because we no longer have to haul our garbage into the house. It gets tossed into the can that was stragetically placed along the path to the door inside. 
This is a silly one, but it dawned on me the other day, when I opened it to get a lid, that many people still store their pots and pans and serving dishes with the corresponding lids. Here's my beef with that: I don't have enough cabinet space and everything must be stacked up inside of them...but that isn't possible with the lids on the pots. Lids roll around and clutter up the cabinets so the other items don't fit easily. Also, lids are flat, so they get misplaced easily and that drives me crazy. I have been using a "lid drawer" for years and it is great! I don't have a problem finding the right lid to fit on the right pan, and it makes it easier for the kids to unload the dishwasher, because they can toss all the lids into one place, rather than attempting to match up the pots with the lids inside the cabinet. 
Fine Motor: Leaf tracing and cutting
Gross Motor: Nature Walk to collect fall leaves
Of course, Jocelyn came in a ridiculous costume (she came as Moses, last year), and even in a crazy heavy chicken costume, she still managed to place in her age group. That woman has some serious talent. Great job to Tia, Katie, and Catania for all setting PRs in the 5K, too! You women are amazing! I love my running buddies!
Well well well, look who has a little competitive edge in her! This girl is a runner, for sure! She ran the entire 1K (.6 miles) at full speed. I tried to pace her, but she was just so excited, so I watched her slowly pass everybody. She did NOT like the idea of being behind anyone, so as soon as she passed one person, she pushed on to pass the next. Her steam started to run out toward the end, so we told her, "don't let Buzz beat you! Run faster!" 
"I'm not tired, I'm just taking just little rest on my Mama," is the best. 
Wanting a gray lumpy pumpkin is the best.
Hugs from Daddy are the best.
A day in the sun with these people is the best.
Awkward family photos are the best.
