waddle. waddle. waddle.

That's about all I do the days: waddle.

We're about 6 weeks from the due date now,
and I am certainly feeling like I'm 34 weeks pregnant.

The reality that I will have 3 kids in a few weeks is starting to sink in.
I am excited to meet my baby boy,
but also incredibly nervous every time I think about it.

For now I'm happy to waddle around,
savoring every moment with my little girls.
And in 6 weeks, hopefully I will feel a little more prepared
to let my heart stretch even more and become mama to a
whole new little one.

Books for the New Year!

We had a wonderful Christmas with family!
But it is feeling good to be back in our old routines.
One thing I was really missing was READING!--
with my little ones and reading for myself.

Here are a few of our favorite books as of late:

1) Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin

This book is a great tool for introducing
your children to an orchestra,
and the poetry is truly wonderful!
You will love the description of each instrument!

2) Snow

We're still waiting for our first winter storm,
but this book certainly gets us excited.

The descriptions of snow and the winter
are, once again, wonderful.
I also love the pictures by Lauren Stringer--
one of my favorite children's book illustrators.

I've mentioned this book before:
3) Winter is the Warmest Season

Written and illustrated by Lauren Stringer,
it is where I fell in love with her art.
I also love how the book makes your little one's think:
Winter may be cold outside,
but we fill it with hot soups, warm baths, fires and candles,
toasty layers of quilts, and lots of together time.
She proves winter really can be "the warmest season."

And this one, 4) Hattie Big Sky
was a random grab from the YA lit section.
I saw the Newbery Honor Award and figured I would give it a shot.
It was another wonderful book!
I loved the combination of early homesteading history
with tensions from WWI.
I also enjoyed that the ending brought some surprises,
not always what you expect in YA lit.

I am hoping to get more reading in this year
than I was able to last year.
However, I'm sure things will get MUCH more
complicated when little Ezra makes his appearance.

I'll just have to read my little heart out for the next 8 weeks
to get a good head start--just in case!

As ready as I'll ever be.

It has been a crazy week or so. We have had accidents that probably should have involved stitches, nights with extra toddlers, lots of baking and visiting, and trying to prepare the house for the 20 people that will fill these walls come Christmas Eve. WHEW!

I have come to the realization that my house will have to be just what it is when my company arrives. Oh, how I have longed to scrub every floor, clean up every little pile of random papers that accumulates faster than I can sort it into the recycling bin, dust every surface, and finish little decorating projects and ideas to fill my bare walls. BUT, luckily, I know that my family loves me even in all my imperfections and dusty book shelves.

I will at least make sure they have clean toilets to sit on, clean sheets to sleep on, and clean dishes to eat off of. They will be happy, and my 30-week pregnant self will be grateful.

Cold mornings...

call for warm fun!

Warm peppermint tea,
fleece blankets,
lots of books,
and snuggling.

Success.

Book Review

I just finished this book a few days ago, and I thought it was wonderful! I had seen the movie based off of this memoir about a year ago and enjoyed it, but the book itself is really worth the extra time.

I loved reading about such a humble, patient, hopeful, and resourceful mother of 10. I love knowing that this was, indeed, a real woman! And I love that her daughter valued her example enough to write an entire memoir about her.

So, all you mommies out there, if you are looking for a new book to start--this is a good one!

The Rainy Day

The Rainy Day
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Thanksgiving

What a perfectly wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year!

After a nice warm breakfast,
Marty took the girls over to their grandma's
to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade
while I set to work on the turkey and veggies.
Can you tell this girl is excited to have some papa time?

We did a Thanksgiving lunch instead of dinner
and shared it with some friends and family.
It was one of the best tasting Thanksgiving's I've ever had--
thanks to some wonderful sides and desserts from our guests!

Of course the turkey took longer to cook than expected
and it was pushing into nap time by the time we got to eat,
(a few mini-meltdowns made that fact clear)
but the glitches were outweighed by the warmth of the atmosphere.
I had such a nice time I forgot to take pictures of the actual feast.

I did, however, get a picture of the outfits
Dorothy picked out for herself and her sister.
My favorite part is that she insisted on squeezing into
the 12 month sweater and letting Lucy drown in the 2T size.
They were happy.
Who can argue with that?

I have been grateful for the chance to reflect all week
on the many blessings we have been given.
I feel this sweet little baby boy kicking inside me;
I have a beautiful, healthy family;
we have a warm home and good job;
we have freedoms many others do not.
I love how this holiday reminds us of all that we DO have
as we now enter a holiday season that too often
tries to remind us of what we feel we don't have--
and should put on our "wish list."

May we continue in the spirit of gratitude and Thanksgiving
as we now turn our thoughts to the miracle of our Savior.