A List

-Eric will be gone this weekend at a men's conference. I'm happy for him, because I know he'll enjoy it. But, I'm sad for me because it's a lot more work taking care of the boys with him gone. Thankfully, we have lots planned and lots of help from our family!

-I feel a lot more tired this pregnancy. I don't know if I really am or if I just forgot about the tiredness. I think I'll be going to bed super early this weekend.

-I'm almost done with my crochet blanket. Woohoo! I made two mini ones for Judah and Samuel, but this is my first full size. I think next I want to make a scarf. And, I'm really wanting to learn to sew (well, I've sewn/sewed(?) before, but it's been a long time). Maybe I'm nesting?

-(Probably) less than 9 weeks left of this pregnancy!

-I have some fun giveaways coming up. Like I said, one for the person who guesses correctly for our baby. But, I also plan to participate in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) in November for the second time. It looks like it's not that big of a deal this year, but I need to some motivation for regular posting. It's also a fun way to pass the time waiting for baby.

-Silas threw my cellphone in the toilet. He's been throwing stuff in the toilet a lot lately. As he was walking in there holding the phone I knew what he was about to do, but I couldn't catch him in time. My phone is now drying on my dashboard and will, hopefully, survive the dunk.

-I need to post pictures of Judah's birthday celebrations. On the to do list!

My Big Man!

Dear Judah,

I can't believe your 5! The last 5 years of my life have gone by faster than the 21 before them. My years with you have been so sweet and so amazing.

This year for your birthday we didn't have a birthday party, but instead did lots of little celebrations all week long. Part of me felt bad for this, but you didn't seem to mind at all!

At 5 you aren't a baby anymore. You aren't a toddler or even a preschooler. I can't believe you're already a kindergartener- my big boy. Today you asked me why I always call you, "little man," you are a big man!

I appreciate you so much! You help me around the house (keeping your bed made, putting away laundry, vacuuming, picking up toys) and with your brothers (bringing diapers, helping Silas up when he falls, helping Samuel put his shoes on). You are so sensitive, too. The other night I made veggie soup for dinner. When you and Samuel both wouldn't eat it I told Papa, "See! I make dinner and then every night they say they don't like it." You replied, "Oh, it was just too hot. I do like it. It's really good." And then, you ate the whole bowl. You were sensitive to my feelings and wanted to make me feel better.

You are so aware of your surroundings (you always have been), how we feel, and what we say. I definitely need to be careful what I say around you. The other day Papa told you (after asking you a few times already) to put your shoes on. You told him you forgot and he said you need to stop forgetting when he asks you to do something. You told him, "you forget when Mama tells you to do something." I got a chuckle out of that one. Papa, not so much. :)

I'm so glad Papa and I made the choice to homeschool you. It's an incredible privilege to spend each morning with you as you learn new things. You are so smart!

I love you so much my Joozy Woozy Woozy Woo!
Love, Mama

Preparation for Childbirth

Have you ever over-extended your foot and it cramped up?

I remember that it happened a lot at the end of my pregnancy with Silas and it's starting to happen again. Last night I got a cramp up my whole calf in the middle of the night. It was really, really painful.

My first response is to tense up, say, "ow, ow, ow," and walk/jump around on it. But (as dorky as it might sound) I really feel like this is preparing me for childbirth. So, I choose to relax and wait for it to pass.

I've been blessed with really easy labor/deliveries. Of course, it's still giving birth, so while not exactly fun and enjoyable, it's not as horrible or painful as I've heard. And, it's super fast. Most of the reason for this is just the grace of God. Some people assume I have a high tolerance for pain. The opposite is true- I have no tolerance for pain.

But, the other part is that I've prepared myself a lot for giving birth. I've read lots of books and they say that contractions are just that- our muscles contacting to push the baby out. Tensing up just works against what your body is naturally doing. So, during birth I relax my body and think of something other than the pain. I choose not to let my body tense up and I don't scream.

When giving birth to Silas I sat in the tub (I had waterbirths with Judah and Samuel), in silence, in the dark, thinking about what my baby would look like, what color hair he would have, etc...

So, when I have the cramps in the middle of the night I practice relaxing and breathing and not freaking out over the pain. And, I look forward to the day (very soon!) when my newest little babe will be here.

And, my biggest babe will be 5 tomorrow!

Obviously pregnant

Two different people asked me when I'm due yesterday.

A few days ago I was about to sit down at a table at Costco with the boys. A guy sat down there before I could and his friend said, "hey, you just stole that table from a pregnant lady!"

I'm finally looking obviously pregnant. It only took six and a half months, but oh well!

Decorating and a cute baby!

Mama's little helper. He loves his picture taken!


One of my favorite books right now is Domino's Book of Decorating. So sad that Domino Mag is no more! But, I've found this room as the inspiration for my living room/dining room (which are all one).


We painted one of the walls robin's egg blue (I, also, LOVE teal blue, but we want to get a dark couch...too much dark). I found an old dresser at a consignment shop that my husband painted yellow (I'm, also, loving yellow right now). And, now all I need is a chair exactly like this to complete the room. I love love LOVE this chair! (Sorry for using the word "love" so much, but "like" just doesn't convey my feelings!) And then, all I'll need is some moss green throw pillows or rug to complete the look.

From Design*Sponge

I found a chair that can be reupholstered, but I've heard that's super expensive. Has anyone done that before? Mind sharing the price? Does anyone know of anyone in Chico that does reupholstery?

Hopefully my house will be Apartment Therapy (another favorite) worthy very soon!

Cozy, rainy day!

Today is a rainy day! After days and days of rain it gets annoying and old, but when it's one of the first it's is so fun and cozy.

Samuel woke up in the middle of the night with a fever. I was a little concerned that it cold be swine flu (going around everywhere) or chicken pox (going around at our church). Alas, it was nothing. He woke up this morning with no fever, happily ate breakfast and lunch, and has been playing like normal all day.

I made the decision not to freak out about a sick kid (like I normally do), because if they're sick there's not much I can do about it, anyway.

Today I had lunch with one of my favorite friends, Brooke, at one of my favorite restaurants, Sin of Cortez. Her mom is in town and watched her sweet baby girl and Eric watched the boys. It is rare that we hang out with no kids. So nice!

Butternut squash soup is in the crock pot (which I'm not particularly a fan of, but I'm hoping I'll like it more today, seeing as I have 6 butternut squashes) and I'm going to go and make some oatmeal cookies right now.

All we need is a fire in the wood stove to complete this rainy day!

Third Trimester!

Yay! I'm in the third trimester! This pregnancy really is flying by. I'm conflicted- part of me wants the last trimester to go by quickly, because I can't wait to meet my sweet baby, and the other part wants it to go slowly. Time already passes quickly enough with my three boys! Speaking of three boys, my biggest boy will be 5 in just 9 days!

I CANNOT wait to find out if my baby is a boy or a girl. Having the surprise at the end is so much fun, but definitely keeps you in suspense! Stay tuned for a contest of guessing the baby's sex, weight, height, and birthdate and win a fun prize!

I've been so inspired by all kinds of craft blogs. My friend Jenna is super, super crafty and she taught me how to crochet granny squares. I'm hoping to be done with my blanket by the time my baby is born.

My most recent project has been decorating my house. In each place that Eric and I have lived I've always had a mindset of living there temporarily. That isn't exactly motivation for wanting to make it look beautiful. What's the use, you know? The house we're living in now we plan to stay in for awhile and, even if we don't, it would still be nice to live in a place that looks pretty and that we're proud of. So, any decorating tips, send my way! (And, I might just have to post some pictures that have been inspiring me!)

Bath Time

"Did you just toot?"
"No, I just made bubbles with my bum."

I Love this Man!

Eric has recently finished training a new employee and is focusing his attention on marketing and building another route. This means, temporarily, he has more flexibility and time with us.

And, on most days, this means that Eric wakes up with the boys and lets me sleep in. Last night he went to a late movie with a friend and still woke up with the boys.

Do you every have those days that the morning starts out bad and the whole day seems kind of yucky? Well, my days have been the complete opposite of that. When I hear my boys playing and eating breakfast downstairs, I leisurely get out of bed and the clock reads 8:50, I know it's going to be a great day.

Seriously, I think sleeping in is my love language. And, I fall more in love with my husband for blessing me in ways that seem small and big all at the same time.

Menu Planning Monday

Yesterday- Chicken apple sausages (from Costco), my mother in law's salad (leftover from church potluck), frozen peas for the kids, wheat bread from Costco (delicious bread from the bakery!)

Mon- Pot roast in the crock pot, broccoli, homemade wheat rolls (doubling the recipe to freeze some for later)

Tues- Taco salad

Wed- Pizza: homemade wheat crust with leftover veggies

Thurs- Chicken noodle soup in the crock pot

Fri- some kind of breakfast for dinner. Maybe waffles, eggs, turkey bacon

Little Walking Man

He took his time


But, now he's off


Go, Silas!