Our Weekend Plans

So, do you have plans for the weekend? Adam and I do--we are probably going to have a baby. I never thought I would do something like this (and I don't plan on doing it again), but we are going to have a new birthing experience--that of being induced.

Peter and Krista are coming down Friday night to stay with the kids (thank you, thank you, thank you to Peter and Krista). So, unless labor begins on its own before Saturday (and I wouldn't be surprised if it did), and as long as all goes well at our next check up, we’ll head for the hospital at 6 AM Saturday, and keep you posted with news as to whether this baby is a boy or a girl. I can’t promise that we’ll have a name picked out before the weekend is over, though…

Updates

Right now, I should really be unpacking, organizing, or thinking of baby names, but I feel more like posting some pictures and updating our blog. Adam and I are in the new house, and at first my reaction to this big, old house was, "what am I doing here?" The house has a strong personality that doesn't exactly match my own (Mary and Rob will soon see what I mean). I don't really want to post pictures of the house since we are house sitting for someone else, but I'll tell you that it is ~2700 square feet, so I feel a little overwhelmed with the space that I will "manage" as the official homemaker here. But after being here for a week, we are enjoying the extra space and low rent. The kids stay busy playing with toys left behind by the owners, the backyard, and Stinky the cat. The downsides are outweighed by the upsides. Now, it may be challenging to move out of here into a smaller space.

One fun feature: the laundry shoot. Our first day here, I kept hearing loud noises and found that Michael was busily dropping all of his toys down the laundry shoot. Similarly, the nursery has a little window that looks out into the living room/foyer. The window is blocked with an iron railing so the kids can drop their toys through the railing onto the floor below without dropping themselves as well.

We also have a laundry/sewing room that is bigger than the kids' bedroom. Here's a fun project I've been working on: baby burp cloths. I love the idea of being able to give something homemade for a gift. A friend of mine is due a week before me, and this is what she's getting from us. Because I am such a visual learner, this tutorial really helped me see how to make these burp cloths.

The last of the updates: photos of the kids.

Emily likes to pose for a picture.

I have a hard time getting a photo of Michael without his binky. If I take it away, he complains and there goes the photo op. It's just a part of him. He likes his "binky" and his "blankey".

Moving Out and Welcoming In

Adam and I have a lot to do in the next month and a half--from moving out of our apartment to welcoming in a new baby to our home. Sandwiched in between the move (this week) and the baby (end of March) will be a little job planning, home organizing, baby prepping, life living, and car buying. We'd like to find a new car to transport our soon-to-be family of five--the escort just won't safely fit three car seats in the back row. So, we are looking forward to and preparing for some big changes.

It seems that at least for us, changes like to keep each other company.

Living on the Edge

The other day, I was importing some photos from our camera onto the computer and I discovered this one among them. I was pretty surprised to see it--I didn't take the photo, so I guess Adam did. He didn't really remember it, but unless Emily took it he's the only other possibility. Makes me wonder just exactly what was going on at that moment. He's looking in the spot where the milk is kept.
If I sometimes feel like the kids are running the show around here, with Mom and Dad in charge of crowd control and maintaining some level of sanity, this is my evidence. There are moments like this one when, on the verge of possible disaster, we are able to avoid or prevent it. Can't you just see the possibility for disaster in the photo? A pitcher of orange juice could have spilled--the egg carton by Mike's feet could have been used as a foot stool, etc.
Our kids have so much to learn . . . and we have so much to learn from them.

Michael's Baking Class

Michael had his first Baking 101 class with Emily and me the other morning. We worked together to bake a dozen applesauce muffins. Before starting, Emily taught Michael the importance of wearing an apron and scooting a chair from the table to the counter. That way, they can really get in on all the action!



They both relished the hands-on work, helping with the measuring, pouring, and mixing.

Mikey had fun for the most part. He did get a little upset when I insisted he couldn't sample the mixture consisting of raw eggs and milk. That's the hardest part of baking with kids--keeping their fingers out of the food, and the food out of their mouths before it's done.

The cooking time gave us just enough clean up time, before we finally got to the best part--gobbling up the muffins. The finished product was very tasty!

Christmas Sampler

I am late getting this up, but I thought the family might enjoy seeing some photos from our Christmas in Port Angeles. It was a very exciting and busy holiday. Adam and I especially loved seeing Emily able to anticipate Christmas morning and really experience the season for the first time as a curious 3-yr old.

Emily playing Mary, strawberry shortcake doll as the baby Jesus. Because she'd been playing Mary off and on all month before Christmas, Emi was happy to act out the story for us. Mikey had no interest in playing the role of Joseph, so he pretended to be one of the the animals at the manger, which is fitting since Mikey loves pretending to be a dog or kitty.

Stockings and new PJ's--Christmas morning was the first and probably only morning the kids slept in during our 7- day trip. They loved seeing the tree and presents. Stockings entertained them while everyone else slowly awoke.

Some Christmas presents-- Emi's "treasure chest" and Mikey's "twain!"

Marta and Abe bought Mom and Dad this awesome "motion activated trash can" from Costco. Definitely the coolest gift ever!

Santa gave Peter and Scott dart guns, and they had a blast with them. We really should have had them open these gifts last, they were such a distraction! Adam and I got these for my brothers in honor of boyhood Christmases, and they certainly had the right effect.

Adam's new apron--aint it beautiful?! Not at all your typical floral apron--what's more manly than race car flames!

When I was young, I dreaded the thought of someday growing up and being the parent at Christmastime; I just couldn't see the fun in that. Having a little Emily and Mike to celebrate Christmas with made it a lot more fun for Adam and me.

Quiet morning's . . .

Are quite unusual around here, but it is 9 AM, and I just heard the first peep from my sleeping angels. (They are usually up by 7:30. Whenever they sleep later, I begin to wonder if they are still alive!)

I've had time to bake a dozen muffins, bake and prepare Christmas plates with "peanut butter blossom" cookies, and do some reading.

If only every morning were this way!!!