NaBloPoMo

I'm taking another suggestion from Liz's blog and joining National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). So I have to post everyday in the month of November...I have serious doubts as to my ability to do this but I'm giving it a try. I'm already making a list of all of the things I want to blog about. So tune in for, what I hope will be, a fun and informative November.

I'm It! Good Things...

I was "tagged" on my dear friend Liz's blog to list some GOOD THINGS in life right now. I've never been tagged before, so thanks Liz, this is fun!

Good Things

*Teeny Tiny Baby Movements - I'm beginning to feel those little popcorn popping movements inside my belly every now and again. It's undeniably the little one growing inside of me and it fills me with awe and wonder each time I feel it.

*The Aroma of Yummy Things Coming from the Crockpot - I love using my crockpot. It makes life so much easier to know that a big portion of our family meal is cooking and that at convergence of chaos that is the dinner hour I won't have as much to do. Plus the entire house fills with the smells of whatever is cooking.

*Pajama Days - This past Saturday we found out early on that the girls soccer game had been cancelled and we ended up staying in our pajamas ALL day. We ate lunch together, the kids played board games, Alex got a bunch of things done around the house, and I napped in the couch! When we bathed, which was late in the day, we all put clean pajamas right back on! It was so great to be home all day and be in relaxation mode!

*Listening to Annie Read - I love hearing Annie read and discover new things about life and the world around her. She is reading really well and loves chapter books now. It is my hope that she will develop a passion for reading.

*Seeing the Budding Friendship Between Lucy and Jack - Lucy and Jack are both extremely imaginative children who can sit a play with toys for a long time. Recently they have begun playing together and it is a joy to listen to them create magical worlds together. They also love board games - and even though they don't always follow the rules they have a blast!!!

*Walking Together - Alex and I have been married 8.5 years and I feel like right now we are walking together...in step with one another in ways we have never before. There is a clarity and a sense of being in sync and it is a wonderful place to be. It's not exciting or thrilling or a make your stomach flip with giddiness - it is solid and enduring and comforting. I'm thankful...

A Pregnancy Update

Well I'm 13.5 weeks pregnant now and I think I'm beginning to feel less sick. I'm still really tired, but I guess that will last throughout.

I had the chance to see the baby via ultrasound on Monday. My doctor wanted a more accurate due date so I hopped on over to the hospital and saw the little life growing inside of me. The baby was squirming around and flailing it's tiny arms and legs everywhere. It's heart was beating away and though this is the fourth child I have experienced this with it never ceases to amaze me. My heart was bursting as I watched the screen and I loved every second of it.

So 26.5 weeks left to go! Baby is expected right around tax day!

Homeschoolers Continue to Out-Perform Traditional Students

Here is a linky-loo to an article accompanying some research on Homeschooling by a Canadian research institute. I appreciate the fact that homeschooling seems to be an equalizer for socio-economic issues and that even under educated parents are achieving greater results for their children than trained educators.

LINK

Happy Birthday to my Firstborn

Here is Annie, 7 years old today, with her present. Yes, a kitten. (Don't think I'm too crazy, the dog is gone...something else to blog about one of these days) So this is Annabelle (named by Annie), she is two and a half months old and just the tiniest and sweetest little thing in the world. She is bonding to Annie...and she slept curled up by her head all last night...it really was too cute.

7 years old?!?! It seems, at the same time, impossible that she has been here that long and that she hasn't been my life forever and ever. She is growing and changing so fast these days. She is into High School Musical (1 & 2), Hannah Montana (concert tickets story coming soon), and everything girly! This Saturday her party is being held a local Tea Room where they have Princess Tea Parties for little girls. So I will be there with 10 little girls dressing up and painting their nails with glitter nail polish...even Daddy and Jack aren't invited. I'll be sure to post some pictures from that adventure!

Happy Birthday Annie - I love you more than my heart can fathom.

A Decade

10 Years. 120 Months. 520 Weeks. 3,650 Days. 876,000 Hours. 5,256,000 Minutes.

A decade ago on this day my friend Chuck died. I wrote about it here a year ago. It is barely believable to me that it has been 10 years since I saw his face or heard his voice. Time is a funny thing...and it sneaks up on you when you least expect it to.

Lots has happened in my life in 10 years...some things Chuck would have been proud of and some of them not so proud. But he would have stood by me no matter what cheering me on or helping me see where I went wrong.

I still don't understand why he is gone and I still wish he was here. I don't expect those things will ever change...and that is okay.

Convergence of Chaos

This weekend seems to define chaos for our family.

It is our church's retreat weekend which means Alex is loaded up with responsibilities with students at a retreat center about an hour away.

It is also the wedding weekend of our dear dear friends Bobby and Susie!!!! Alex and I are leading some worship in the ceremony and Annie and Lucy are flower girls! We also have the honor of being the people who set Bobby and Susie up with each other...our very first set up to actually go all the way to marriage! So it's a very important event for our family.

In addition my aunt is coming to town to celebrate her 50th high school reunion!

So today around 3, Alex will leave for the retreat and I will take the girls to the wedding rehearsal at 6:30. I, unfortunately, have to miss the rehearsal dinner to get home and get the kids in bed. Then tomorrow, my mom and aunt will take Jack for the day and Alex will come home at 1:30 so we can be at the church by 2:30 for the wedding at 3:30! My mom will pick the girls up after the ceremony while Alex and I get to enjoy a bit of the reception before picking up all three kids and heading back up to the church retreat by 10 pm. Tired yet?

We will be at the retreat until lunch on Sunday and then we will come home and collapse in front of the television to watch the Steelers (hopefully) beat the Seahawks. I bet I'm not awake for much of the game!

Although I'm dreading all of the busy-ness of the weekend, I am filled to overflowing with joy for Bobby and Susie. Susie is such a wonderful friend and she has been there for me through thick and think. We have known her for 7+ years now and she is a part of our family in inextricable ways. Bobby and Alex have known one another longer than I can even remember and we value him more than we could ever say. We are so thrilled to have been a part of their story up until now and we look forward in great anticipation to what God has in store for them in the wonderful adventure of marriage.

So even though I won't be drinking the champagne my heart will be toasting the coming together of these two lives for weeks and months to come.

I'm Still Here

I know it's been a long time...but between homeschooling both girls and caring for all three kidlets...in addition to trying not to throw up every minute of the day I have been pretty tied up. Things are going well on all fronts...and I'm hoping the morning sickness ( all day sickness is more like it...must have been a man that named it morning sickness :) )will subside soon as I'm nearing the end of the first trimester.

Anyway I received this video in an email and I got a chuckle out of it...I know lots of it will sound familiar to many of you...either you've said it or heard it. Enjoy.

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.