Like a Stack of Pancakes....

Ever have those nightmares that you're at a final exam and you've never been to the class?  How about the one where you have to do some really specific task (like perform surgery) and you've got no idea why everyone is counting on you to do it? 

That feeling of, "holy cow, how am I going to do this?" is starting to creep up on my when it comes to getting our house ready for baby.  I've made peace with the fact that we're not going to have a third bedroom or perfectly organized everything the day we get home from the hospital.....but I'm starting to feel like I haven't made ANY progress towards getting the attic finished, the basement organized to take on all the stuff we're currently storing in the attic.....or even keeping the house tidy. 

Recently, my elderly neighbor (93!) told me that 8 people used to live in our house (it's 740 sq ft).  That got me thinking about what expectations we have for our homes now compared to generations past.  Older generations knew how to make do, my generation doesn't seem to have a knack for that.  We don't know how to fit people into close proximity....we need mega mansions and AT LEAST 2 bathrooms. 

How did it get to be this way?  How did we start equating space with happiness?  At what point did it become not ok to stack kids up like pancakes?

All things Valentine

So, I DID make it to the fabric store to start working on tutus for the girls, but haven't made much progress on them yet.  I hope there will be pictures to follow next time, but life is about to get crazy again with work. 

In the meantime, some highlights from our family's Valentine's Day.

An early morning treat to start the day right.

A closer look because my husband said it was hard to tell they were hearts when they were in a ring :)

A happy recipient!

The perfect hair for a Valentine's Day celebration.

We actually made it out over the weekend without the kids!

The pregnancy is going well - here are some of the most recent pics:

 So, I think this one is about 22 weeks.

This one is just over 24 weeks.  People keep telling me that I don't look noticeably pregnant.....looking at this picture, I think to myself they're either being very charitable or don't remember what I used to look like!

Life is just as busy as ever, but it'll be busier still in a few months, so I'm trying to find time to get the house in order and get some projects done pre-new baby.  I'm also vacillating between worrying about my weight and eating Valentine treats :)  I'm trying out new/more exercises in hopes that this will slow down my weight gain a little (I've gone from being the star patient for not gaining any weight one month to the chastised patient for gaining a couple extra.....)  I'm trying to stay focused and not gain unnecessary weight - after all, every extra pound I gain is one that has to come back off again (hopefully) afterwards!  I do have the occasional, "BUT I'M HUNGRY!!!" moment, but overall, I'm doing pretty well :)

On some days, my husband is able to make it home for lunch, which is nice because I can go for a walk/very slow jog on the college campus a couple blocks from our house.  On the other days, I'm working on strength and stretching, or, like today, taking the kiddos with (much to LB's chagrin - she's not a fan of walks).  I haven't changed my diet a whole lot, after all, I'M HUNGRY! =P  We'll see how the extra exercise goes this month, if that doesn't slow the weight gain to where the doctor wants, breads and other sweet treats will be on the chopping block :( 

If I don't talk about how I've been working out regularly, everyone should offer to watch my kids so I can go get to it!  :)

Hubby's job has been highs and lows, but walking by faith is a learning process, just like regular walking.  We're still in the pulling ourselves up on the furniture phase I think, but we're working on it! 

Thanks for all the prayers and know that your intentions are in mine.

Family Day

We're lucky enough to live in an area with lots of fun family activities.  LB is doing swim lessons on Saturday mornings, but after swim lessons, we headed off to one of our local middle schools had a science fair. 

We found out about it through my brother that is a student teacher in that school district.  We were already planning a trip to our local art museum for their family day, but decided to make it a double feature by heading to the science fair first.

Of course I forgot to bring my camera in to the science fair, but LB had a great time holding baby chicks, listening to a talk on (and seeing!) birds of prey and experimenting with dry ice. 

At the art museum, I made sure to get pictures and here are a couple:

This week, we also dog sat for an old friend.  The sweet pup is one of LB's favorite furry people in the world and she had a great time playing with her :)

We also had a field trip this week to our local military history museum.  LB had the most fun in the dress-up/children's room.

And the big accomplishment of the week......LB got 100% on her spelling test!  This warranted a treat:

LB is a huge fan of press-on nails and has been working on getting 100% for a few weeks to earn a set :)

Next week I should have the week off work and I got some fabric in the mail that I'm so excited about.  I hope next week sees a how-to blog on my newest creation for the girls!