Months

Here is how I explain months to my children:

January is Evie's birthday.
February is Valentine's Day.
March is Uncle Tad's birthday, St. Patty's Day and Easter.
April is Grandma's birthday, and Aunt Alisa's birthday.
May is Mommy's birthday, Mother's Day, Grandma in Iowa's birthday, and Abi's birthday.
June is Grandpa's birthday, Father's Day, Aunt Steph's birthday, and Samuel's birthday.
July is Independence Day and Daddy's birthday.
August is Honor and Connor's birthday, Grandpa in Iowa's birthday, and the baby's birthday.
September is Luke's birthday.
October is Harvest Month.
November is Thanksgiving and Ariana's birthday.
December is Uncle Chris' birthday and Christmas.


Right now August is the kids' favorite month (beside January, June, September, and November)

Morning Sickness

Related to that last post...

Although I am very blessed to not suffer too badly from morning sickness, insomuch as I rarely feel the need to actually vomit, the constant nausea is not very pleasant.  There are very few things more distasteful than being forced to eat when you feel like your stomach is twisting in knots, for the express purpose of NOT vomiting.

Been wanting to say that for a few weeks now.  I feel better...mentally anyway.

Let's Try This Again...

 

Yep. I'm pregnant again. This time we are not making it widely known until Valentine's Day (i.e. my facebook friends will find out on or around that wonderful day).  I have heard the heartbeat though and it is a good strong one.

My children were not officially told until after I heard the heartbeat, however, my daughters are way too smart for their own good. They saw my prenatal vitamins--my special, expensive prenatal vitamins (the ones I got from the doctor before I miscarried and never got around to using)--were disappearing shortly after I took the all-too-famous pee test.

Honor/Ariana: "Mom! What is this?"

Mommy: "They are vitamins."

Honor/Ariana: "Does this mean you have a baby in your belly?"

Mommy: "Girls, go pick up your laundry!"

...

But Ariana was not to be sidetracked for long.  The next morning, while I was trapped in my shower, Ariana appeared with a box in hand, looked me directly in the eye and demanded, "Mom! Do you have a baby in your belly? Because I remember you telling me that you wouldn't take these vitamins unless there was a baby in your belly. You have a baby in your belly, don't you!"

I try hard never to lie directly to my children, so I told her. I gave her a very meaningful look and said, "we're not saying one way or another until I hear a heartbeat and we are DEFINITELY not telling ANYONE...including your siblings. So just forget all about it."

The joy on her face was priceless. Not only was Mommy going to have a baby, but she was in on the surprise. And except for a few significant looks and mouthings of 'because you have a baby in your belly,' she has been really good.

So, anyway, the news is out...again...sort of.  Please pray for us that all will continue smoothly this time around. Our newest baby boy or girl will arrive on or around August 27th.  

Please Pray

One of my dearest friends lost her mother tonight to pancreatic cancer. Margo was an amazing mom and a lovely woman with a ready smile and a kind heart. If her daughters were all I knew about her, I would know that she was a godly woman with a servant's heart who left a long legacy of joy behind her. She will be dearly missed even as we rejoice that she is now in Heaven. Please pray with me for comfort for my friends, Amy and Sara.

Thank you.

Hawaii

Mommy: "Samuel, pick up the cars in your room before you leave with Daddy."

Samuel: "Okay, but first I have to change my pants. And my shirt."

Mommy: "Your shirt is fine. Just change your pants and clean up the cars."

Samuel: "But my shirt says 'Hawaii' on it."

Mommy: "There's nothing wrong with wearing a shirt that says 'Hawaii'."

Samuel: "Yes, but I have to change my shirt. I don't want everyone to think that's my name."

Logical...

The Muppets

Daddy was sitting down for the evening, trying to turn on a movie the whole family would enjoy.

Daddy: "How about "The Muppets Movie?"

Connor: "Yes!"

All the other children: "NOOOO!!!"

Samuel: "We don't like the muppets!"

Ariana: "The muppets scare Honor!"

Honor: "The muppets give me nightmares!"

Ariana: "I don't like the crazy one with chains. He's scary!"

Honor, Samuel, Ariana: "No muppets!!!"


...


Guess what came in the mail yesterday?  The Muppets

Epic fail Mom. 

School

"It's time for school."

"Mooommm!! Do we have to???  It's Friiidaaay!"



...


Recess:

"Let's play school!"

"Yeah!!!"

Ariana's Story

I love that my children enjoy writing "books" in their spare time.  It wastes a lot of paper, but it is enjoyable none-the-less.

Here is Ariana's latest--misspellings and all.  (Scanning would have probably been better, but I'm lazy...)

Chapter 1

ocne opon a time
thare was a kittin
Her name was rose
She was cute
She loved her owner
One day she took 
her with her on a
cruse and she loved it <3 i="i">

Chapter 2

and when I say she 
Loved it She did. 
alot.
hear is a pitcher
for you to see
wat she looks like

(cat)

Now this is the Last
reading page
It will be a pictre
book




Now, just so you don't think I am a horrible teacher, she can spell better than this when she is actually trying to do school, but this is for fun so I won't correct it.  So cute!

Russia??? Really???

I just looked up my page stats and found an interesting statistic. I have more views from people in Russia than I do from people in the United States. Now, I'm not quite sure how they came up with the number of page views because it is showing that I have 36 page views from Russia and 33 page views from the US (as well as 2 from Canada (Hi Kimberly), and 1 each from China, Philippines, Singapore--thank you Vivienne!), but those page view numbers don't match my total page views.  

However, that is not the point.

I don't know anyone from Russia.

I don't think anyway.

So...  

To the person or people who are reading my blog from Russia: will you please make yourself known to me in the comments.  

I would love to know who you are.

Fascinating.

Monopoly

I taught my children how to play this wonderful game, which they now all love.  I pretty much have to make all the decisions for Samuel because the subtler points of the game are lost on him (he rolls the dice and sorts the money on his own though ;-) ).

Mommy: "Okay, Samuel. You want to buy Reading Railroad. It is $200. So I am going to take $200 from your pile and give you the card for Reading Railroad."

Samuel: "Are you going to give me my money back?"

Mommy: "No, Honey, you are buying the railroad."

Samuel: "I want my money back."

Mommy: "But you really want Reading Railroad.  It's a good one to have."

Samuel: "No. I want my money back."

Mommy: "Okay, how about this.  I will take your $500, give you Reading Railroad and $300 back.  Is that okay?"

Samuel: (smiling) Yeah!

By the way, since he is a money hoarder and since we have yet to finish a game, Samuel has won first place once and second place once.  Sigh.