Tuesday, April 30, 2013

April 2013 Updates

So my sister updated her blog for the first time in months, and I decided I might do the same for the sake of remembering what this time in our lives is like.

Things are a whirlwind in our house, preparing for baby Jonah to arrive in just 6-7 weeks. We're finishing our expansion upstairs which will give us an additional 500 square feet. The construction process hasn't been as awful as I'd expected, but I'll admit I'm about ready for it to be over. Sheetrock is scheduled to be finished tomorrow which means the main portion of the addition will only need the finishing touches: paint, carpet, trim, and light fixtures. The bathroom will take a smidge more work, but we're in no huge rush. The big deal with getting it finished right now is that Drew and Hannah will be sharing a room up there soon. Ahhh!! Ideally, we're aiming to get them moved up there a couple weeks before Jonah's scheduled arrival. We want them to adjust to life in a room together before we throw a big wrench into their world by adding a sibling. A little nervous, a little excited about that adventure of room sharing. I also hope to put our little homeschooling corner up there, away from a baby's hands for a while! Pretty pumped about that!

As far as our family goes....

We'll start with me. Well, I'm still insanely pregnant. I'm up 28 pounds from what I was about 8 1/2 months ago. I'm definitely feeling the effects of pregnancy (back pain, hello!) and am more than ready to have a baby at home in my arms! I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm not a smidge nervous about taking care of 3 kids by myself all day, nursing one every 2 hours for several months. But, by the Lord's provision and grace, we will make it through those first few trying months! (We may eat a lot of Velveeta and cereal and watch Netflix a ton, but that's okay. The key: survival.) I'm reading through my bible "in a year." I've already had to push the "catch me up" button twice because I'd fallen so behind, but I'm allowing myself grace. I'm learning so much about the Old Testament that I never knew. I'm able to tell my kids the stories and fill in the gaps to Drew's questions when reading his OT bible story at night. It makes me so thankful for Jesus, and puts into perspective just what his life and death meant for me. I highly encourage the Holman chronological bible. I got the free app on YouVersion. Love it! Spiritually, I'm working on gentleness, patience, kindness, and respect. Those weren't so difficult 8 months ago, but when I'm tired starting at 9am and the patience is gone by 9:05am, it takes work and prayer and asking for forgiveness from my kids. Whew--there's some transparency for you! I'm living by the grace of God right now!

Andrew is working hard to provide for this ever-expanding family and with such a good attitude. He still loves his job and his side job. He's feeling the pressure to get the upstairs completed in time, and I'll be happy when that weight is off his shoulders. His newest hobby is reloading bullets. Oh my! It's taking over our garage. For one gun now, we have over 3000 rounds of ammunition. But hey--he enjoys it! He's starting to spend lots of time outside with the kids, mowing the grass, and just today took them both to the zoo by himself! I don't know why God gave him to me, but I could not ask for a better husband/daddy. He takes over most of the responsibilities when he gets home. He cleans the kitchen, helps cook, helps with the laundry, does the kids' baths and snacks, and puts them to bed. Then that dear man sets me up with my pillow on the couch and gets me a snack. And most nights he rubs my feet or my back. I'm telling you--he's amazing. I tell him how much I appreciate him all the time, but it's still not enough!

Onto the kiddos!

Drew is growing fast. And I mean fast. His mind is just exploding with new information, constantly asking questions, and his interests change every few weeks. A lightbulb went off in his head a month or two ago and he has been interested in letters/sounds/words ever since. The workbook he HATED 6 months ago (that we put to the side after 2 days) is now one of his favorite afternoon activities. He loves to do "school!" About 2 weeks ago, he got obsessed with numbers, especially numbers that have something to do with the speed limit. Now, when we're in the van, he tells us what road we're on and the current speed limit. Of course, he's quick to inform you if you are speeding or not going fast enough. That boy! We will hopefully start a more formal method of homeschooling with a kindergarten curriculum in September. I'm really excited about it! He's trying so hard to read, so I think this will be right up his alley. His favorite sight words are all related to cleaning: hot, cold, cool, warm, off, on, permanent press, rinse, spin, delicate, cotton, etc. If you've read this blog long at all, you'll know he used to be OBSESSED with cleaning with me and helping with every chore. Well, that paid off! Not only can he spot multiple site words, but he can now pretty much do the laundry himself. He sorts by color/type, loads, unloads, helps fold/hang, and assists in putting away the items. It truly is a big help to me! One of his exciting new adventures is his dog, Jill. We had Gracie first, but thanks to a submissive urination issue that I didn't have the time/patience to work with, she found a loving home and we got Jill as a replacement. That dog LOVES Drew; she follows him around the yard, lets him carry her around, and pines for him to come out and play with her. Most mornings, he immediately asks to go outside with her. We toyed with the idea of her being an inside dog (and tried it for several days), but she's now 95% an outside dog. She comes in when it rains since she's not a fan of staying in her "spensive doghouse" as Drew says. I love looking out the window and seeing  him running, Jill quick on his heels. He wears her out! His other main interest is his train set Santa got him. He loves to rearrange it, mainly, and make the tracks go different ways. He will spend over an hour on it at a time! When any of the grandparents come over, he wants them to come admire his train and play with him. He's very interested in Jonah and in my health. He'll ask me if my back is hurting and then he'll offer to rub it. He asks about how he can help when Jonah gets here, etc. He is very concerned that I'll have to spend the night in the hospital away from him, but I keep trying to assure him it will only be a night or two. (He responds with something like, "When you leave, I'm gonna run after you and grab your bumper and go with you!) Let's hope I head out while he's asleep! (All kidding aside--the kid is great with directions. Better than I am sometimes--no lie! He could probably get to the hospital without a problem if someone would drive him and listen to his directions!)

Words I would use to describe Drew-man: spirited, sweet, thoughtful, watchful (of Hannah), helper, energetic, persistent, outdoorsman, funny, genuine, learner, and loving!

Hannah is all of 2 these days! She is so much fun and so sweet, but my-oh-my--she's into everything! Her favorite spaces are bathroom drawers, bathroom cabinets, top of the table (salt and pepper shakers!), bathrooms (toilet paper!), and the pantry. Whew! She's a full time job! Her vocabulary just amazes me! She speaks in paragraphs and says whatever she wants to say. She's learning some of her letters and a few of the sounds (thanks, LeapFrog!). She loves juice, the outdoors, pretending, reading, bible class, Dora, her blankie, and her new big girl bed. She gives kisses with no inhibition, begs to go to the zoo, loves trips outside the house, gravitates towards mud/dirt, and is moving away from being such a mama's girl 24/7. One of the funny things about her lately is her obsession with random items. When she decides that a certain item is "special," she lays claim on it for hours to days. For several days it was my mixing beaters. She slept with them, took them to the potty, etc. Now she picks new items almost daily. It's so funny. She's currently cuddled up in bed with a huge plastic box of random toys. She just HAD to sleep with them. She's doing pretty well with the potty! She always poops in the potty, and some days only teetees once or twice in her diaper. Today she went 6 hours without peeing in her diaper. I would LOVE for her to be potty trained by the time Jonah arrives, but if not--no biggie. She just transitioned to the 2 year old bible class at church. We've tried her several times before, but she was NOT having it. So we waited a few months and tried again. She loves it and asks all the time to go to bible class. I love to go pick her up because she's SO excited to see me. Precious girl!

Words to describe Hannah: sweet, cuddly, thankful, lover of random "things," mama's girl, BUSY, helper in the kitchen, and sometimes dramatic. ;)

I love these two babies so very much. My heart is so full of love for them, and they give me such purpose and fulfillment in life! Even on the longest, hardest days, I'm positive this is where I want to be and where God has led me right now. I'm soaking up my time with them because I'm afraid it will all end too quickly.












 (This was Easter morning. Hannah was sick on Easter morning and something was wrong with Drew-can't remember what. Anyway, we had Easter worship at home together as a family. It was my favorite Easter to date. We read the Bible together as a family and talked about the importance of Jesus' resurrection and sang together. A sweet, special time!)


 (Their Easter outfits...the week after Easter)


 (Her last time waking up in her crib. Saddness!)






1 comment:

vindiebaby said...

You have a beautiful family, I love those pictures :)

www.vindiebaby.com
Vintage Inspired Girls

This Might Tickle Your Fancy

Blog Widget by LinkWithin