38th Week in Pictures

38 weeks pregnant today! Still having lots of pressure down low, but no contractions so far!  Hopefully she'll decide to make her appearance sometime soon! It's getting too hot for me to be this pregnant, lol!

Kelly's mom was transporting five puppies between shelters on Saturday, so she called us over to let the kids play with the puppies for a while.  They had a blast! I think the puppies had a good time too;  they slept all the way to the next shelter!

Saturday night, Marcus took Hunter to a Boise Hawks baseball game.  It was Hunter's first time going to a baseball game and he had a blast!

The bat "boy" was a dog!!

Whoa! That's some intense looking nachos! I guess ball park food has changed since the last time I went to the stadium!

Panorama view of the stadium

The Hawks ended up winning in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI triple!  There were fireworks after the game and Hunter couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had.  I love that there are all sorts of things to do here with the kids that we might not have had the opportunity to do elsewhere.

I had to end with the sweetest picture ever from naptime today.  Melts my heart...

New Home: The School Room

Out of all the rooms in our new house, I have to say that I am most excited about the school room.  I am a total, unapologetic nerd and I have way too many books to have bookshelves scattered all over the house.  I am really excited about this upcoming school year as it will be our first full, official year of homeschooling the kids.  With Taylor in 1st Grade and Hunter in Kindergarten, plus a toddler and a newborn, it will be interesting to see how this year plays out. 

Last year, before the morning sickness kicked in and life got crazy with moving, I really enjoyed the structure that our school days provided.  It seemed like the days went much smoother when we all had a routine and knew what to expect.  These lazy summer days have been wreaking havoc on our schedule and I will be glad to get back to some structure!

So, I am very excited about having a dedicated place for us to do the majority of our schoolwork because one of my biggest frustrations last year was having to get our school stuff cleaned off the kitchen table for lunch and get it back out afterwards if the need arose.  It will be nice to be able to close the door and leave a project where it is without having to clean everything up in between school times.

This is more the office side of the room, where I've got most of my books, including cookbooks, old textbooks, scrapbooks, devotionals & Bibles, fiction, and a whole shelf of adult classics that I've picked up here and there.  It will be nice having the computer and printer in the same room where we do school.  Besides pencils, that was probably the tool we used the most last year! On top of the bookshelf is Marcus's diploma-mine will be joining his soon!

Around the corner, I have the world map, United States map, and a dry erase writing practice page on the wall next to our curriculum shelves.  The shelves are two 3x3 cube organizers from Lowe's stacked on top of one another.

Across the room is our dry erase board and the calendar and clock.  I also got Taylor a small magnetic board that she can use with the magnetic letter tiles when we're working on making words.  The cubbies below the white board are the 2x3 cube organizers from Lowe's attached at the ends.  They hold our other supplies, like math manipulatives, letter tiles, hole punch, label maker, etc.

As of right now, I'm keeping all of my craft supplies in the closet.  But there is plenty of room in there to add more storage if we need it.  Behind the door is a copy of the Declaration of Independence from Hobby Lobby.  We also have a copy of the Bill of Rights that is still packed in a box somewhere!

A straight-on view of the white board and cubbies.  We have 38 days until school starts! I want to add a section on the side of the board that details our daily/weekly schedule so that the kids know what is coming and to keep me on task with what I expect to accomplish that day or week.

A better view of our curriculum/kids books cubbies.  I have these organized by subject with the board books and younger kids books on the bottom so that Mason can get them out while we're "doing school."  Math, Science, History, Reading, Bible, Fine Arts, and supplies that we use on a frequent basis round out the other shelves.  I even had room in the top right cubby for Marcus's and my current textbooks. 

 

The only other thing that I need to pick up for this room is a small table to go in the middle.  I have debated between desks and a table and I think that since most of our work will be done together (only math and English will be done at different grade levels), it would be beneficial if I could sit down with them at the same table and we can work all together.  If they need to be separated because they're getting distracted too easily, I can always send one of them to the kitchen table, which is still within eyesight for me, to work by themselves.  Read-alouds will still be done on the couch so everyone can get comfy and enjoy the story.  So excited to get this school year underway-we'll see if this room looks the same halfway through the year, haha!

37 Weeks! Almost time!

This past Tuesday I reached the 37th week of this pregnancy!  It has gone by so fast in some respects, but in others it feels like I've been pregnant forever!  I am seeing the doctor weekly now, and everything has been going well with the appointments.  She is head down, heart beat is still looking great, and all of the routine tests have come back normal.

 

Now we're just playing the waiting game with Little Miss.  She has been consistently measuring two to two and a half weeks ahead of schedule, so I am guessing that she will be here sometime between now and her due date, but sooner rather than later. I have been feeling okay, but I have been starting to have lots of pressure down low and Braxton Hicks contractions, which probably means that my body is gearing up for labor.  I'm also starting to get tired much more easily and today was a good example of that.  Marcus let me sleep in and I woke up at 9:50, and then by 2 pm, I was ready for a nap and slept until 5:45!  To be fair, EVERYONE slept that long, but I don't normally need a 3 1/2 hour nap on a normal day. 

 

I've been having less heartburn as well, which is fantastic and probably means she is dropping.  I've gone back to getting sick every so often, which is not so fantastic.  I've also been reacquainting myself with the Bradley method of childbirth, which is how I delivered Mason.  I have just about finished re-reading the book, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, which was extremely helpful with the natural birth the last time and I am praying will be the case this time.

 

(Amazon.com)

 

I am definitely starting to get more antsy about labor getting closer, but I can look back at the other kids births' and remember that although it is painful and hard work, it will only be a distant memory soon and Paisley will be here!   We cannot wait to meet her!









Catching Up Part 2, the Road Trip

After the July 4th weekend, we finished packing up our stuff from Alabama and got on the road to head cross-country to our new home in Boise.  We planned on taking three full days to get there, which would equate to 9 hours of driving each day.  That's a pretty monumental undertaking with three kids age six and under!  But we've driven long distances before to and from Mimi and Poppie's house when we lived in South Carolina, so this wouldn't be much different, only it would be three days in a row instead of just one.  The first day we made it from Alabama through Memphis to Arkansas, Oklahoma, and halfway through Kansas.

First morning on the road

Our first casualty

Torrential downpours in Wichita, Kansas!

 

We stopped for the night in Salina, Kansas where we promptly found a hotel with an indoor pool.  As soon as we got our stuff inside, we had the kids put on their bathing suits and we went and played in the water for an hour and a half--just long enough to really tire them out.  We ordered a pizza in the room and went straight to bed!  The next morning at 4 am, I hear Marcus rustling in the bed and lo and behold he's ready to get up and go, lol!  But instead of getting us all up, he let us sleep and went and got gas and reorganized the truck and picked up doughnuts and milk for breakfast.  By the time he got back, we were slowly getting up and we were able to get back on the road by 7 that morning. 

 

The second day of travel, we drove from the middle of Kansas to Colorado and up to Cheyenne, Wyoming where we turned west and drove as far as Evanston, Wyoming.  We decided to stop there because we had gone through a lot of rain that day and were all tired, plus that gave us only a few hour drive to Grandma's house the next day.

 

The farther west we got, the more windmills we saw

Intently watching the movie

My chauffeur looks so serious! He's a man on a mission!

Kansas really is all flat...

Entering Colorado! This was a new state for me to check off my list.

A buffalo statue on a mountain marks the spot where we entered Wyoming.

At the time, I thought 58 was cold, but when we got up at 6:30 am in Evanston, it was 49 degrees!

About to hit a wall of rain.

Finally starting to get into some mountains!

The clouds were so low, we couldn't see the tops of the mountain

I thought this was the coolest thing!  We bought the chips in Alabama and didn't open them until we were in Colorado, so the change in pressure made the bag inflate!  Definitely had an impromptu science lesson with the kids, lol!

 

After spending the night in Evanston, we got up on the third day and hit the road for the comparatively short drive to Grandma's house in Burley.  We were only three miles from Utah, so we just had to cut through the northeast corner of Utah through Ogden and head north for Idaho. 

 

Finally some REAL mountains!

The clouds were playing peek-a-boo in the crevices of the mountains.

Leaving Utah and heading towards Idaho.

Our new home state!!

 

We made it to Grandma's house just in time for some fishing before lunch.  Overall, we had a fantastic trip and really could not have asked for better, besides all the rain that we went through in Kansas and Wyoming.  I got to see parts of the country that I had never seen before.  The kids did great watching movies and napping in the car and Marcus and I were able to swap out driving and riding.  We packed lots of snacks and lunch foods, so we didn't have to stop for food, only for gas and potty breaks, which were surprisingly few considering I was 34 weeks pregnant!  It was a really great trip, although I'm not sure I want to be stuck in the car for that long again any time soon! :)

 

Our full journey from SC to ID!





Catching Up!

Since my last post, there has been a ton of things going on in our lives, so it's going to take me a few posts to get it all in.  We spent almost the entire month of June in Alabama with my parents, mostly just hanging out and being lazy for the summer.  We got the kids going with the library's reading program and they devoured lots of books;  we even went on a bear hunt or two! ;-)  I was able to get a few books crossed off my reading list as well during my break from school. 

One of the few books I read

We took a few days to explore the area and visit a couple of museums and local tourist attractions.  The kids loved standing next to the waterfall at the dam because it covered us in a cool mist on a blazing hot summer day.

The overlook at Wilson Dam

One of the waterfalls by the dam

 

The bigger waterfall that gave us a good misting

The water temp was still pretty cool for June

The kids had to squint because of all the mist! It sure felt good though!

 

We spent a lot of time just hanging out and enjoying the company.  The kids sure loved hanging out with Mimi and Poppie.

 

Especially when Poppie gave them tractor rides!

 

Taking a nap with Mimi 

A lazy afternoon of Farkle and cheese puffs

Teaching Tay how to play War (that's Daddy's war face, lol)

The kids spent a week at VBS and had a blast!  They're still singing the songs they learned!

 

When Marcus and I were still dating, one of the first restaurants we went to in Alabama was Casa Mexicana.  We have a framed picture of the two of us at the table.  This trip, Casa was one of our last restaurants to go to, so we thought it was only fitting to get a new picture showing the difference of 10 years.  We've both aged a little bit and we've certainly added to our family a lot! It makes me wonder where we'll be in another 10 years...

 





29 Weeks and Our Last Full Week!

(I originally wrote this before we left South Carolina, but in the midst of the chaos, I forgot to publish! So it's better late than never, I suppose!) 

 

29 Weeks today!  Miss Paisley is growing like crazy and getting heavier by the day!  I've noticed a definite difference when I walk around and especially when I (attempt to!) bend over.  My belly is getting in the way more, which makes it harder to do things around the house.  It's a good thing we've taught the big kids how to do most of the chores around here-I'm definitely having to delegate more lately!

Tonight is our last Bible study before we move.  I am really going to miss this group of friends!  We are starting to get to those "lasts" that are making the move real for us!  Tomorrow night is our last Wednesday night service and Thursday will probably be our last trip to the beach.  Our last week here is going to be super busy, which will make time go by much faster, I'm sure. 

I am not looking forward to when it actually hits me that we are leaving for good.  We really feel like we have found a home here in Beaufort, if only it were closer to family!  There is something to be said for having very good friends, but the desire to raise our kids near their cousins and aunts and uncles is tangible.  It is such a hard thing to have to choose between many good options, but in the end, we feel like this is what is best for them.  So next week, we'll load everything up and say goodbye, possibly for this lifetime.  I'm trying not to get too emotional yet but I know it is going to hit me sooner or later.  Maybe I can blame it on the pregnancy hormones??  ;)

Sweet Home Alabama! (At least temporarily)

Last week, we finished packing everything that we own into a U-Haul truck and got on the road.  We left South Carolina, our home for the past five years, to be temporarily homeless until we make our final move in July all the way across the country to Idaho. 

In the meantime, we are visiting my parents in Alabama and enjoying our summer break and our last few weeks of not having a mile-long "To Do" list.  Once we leave here, we will be:  driving cross country, moving into a new home, unpacking and getting settled, birthing and bringing home a new baby, beginning school again for the kids and graduate school for me, and job hunting for Marcus.  I'd say that it's going to be a busy fall!!

So for these last few weeks of peace, we are going to get some summer reading in, spend some time at the pool, catch some fish on the river, and just enjoy hanging out with family.  It's going to be over before we know it.

28 Weeks! Third Trimester, Finally!

We finally hit 28 weeks yesterday! Miss Paisley and I made it to the third trimester, yay!  I had my 28 week appointment yesterday and had to sit for the fun glucose testing.  We're still waiting on the results, but I haven't had gestational diabetes with any of the other pregnancies, so I don't expect anything out of the ordinary for this one either. 

I still feel good, although sleeping is becoming more and more troublesome because I can't seem to get comfortable.  Besides my belly getting in the way, I've been having restless legs like crazy!  It makes it hard to get settled and I usually end up tossing and turning until I finally fall asleep.  Other than that, I've been having lots of heartburn in the afternoons and evenings, but I figured out that if I take a Zantac around lunchtime, it seems to prevent me from having heartburn all evening.

 

As far as the moving progress, today is T minus 2 weeks until we hit the road! It feels like we still have a ton of stuff to do, but really we won't be able to make much more progress until we get the U-Haul and can start loading it up.  Our shed has been filling up quickly!  I expect Monday the 8th and Tuesday the 9th to be very busy days and then Wednesday we will officially be moving! 

 

 

The timing has actually worked out really well because I have had to take some time off from all the moving stuff to focus on finals this week!  I just submitted my Governmental and Non-Profit Accounting paper today, and now I have two papers left, Federal Taxation and my capstone course, the Senior Seminar!  My Senior Seminar paper has to be a minimum of 10 pages, and I'd like to have everything done by Friday, so I see a couple of late nights in my near future.  But it will all be worth it because then I will be completely DONE!  I won't officially graduate until August 15, but all of my courses will be finished and I can spend this summer relaxing and getting ready for our move and baby's arrival!

 

Speaking of summer, the kids have been playing outside almost every day this week and today, while waiting on lunchtime, they made "stained glass windows" from the colored magnets for a fun, quick project.

 

 

And sometimes, despite our objections to the contrary, even big kids need naps.  We both sat down with books while the boys were napping and I looked over to see her sound asleep.  Nope, she wasn't tired at all... ;-)