Nesting for Non-Cleaners

I've always heard that mommas get this overwhelming urge to clean in the weeks before their babies are born. I have yet to experience that. I have an overwhelming urge to have my house be clean, but I don't think that's the same thing. I do have a strong urge to make stuff, which is how I spent naptime/rest time/kids watch a movie time yesterday. (And for the record, I went to Joann fabrics and walked out with only $3.13 worth of elastic to finish these projects. No new fabric!)

Here's the car seat cover for New England winters:


Baby mittens from the car seat cover scraps:



And a baby hat I crocheted last week for a friend's shower. It was probably the only thing I've ever started and finished during a single naptime:

It's not exactly scrubbing the baseboards or cleaning the light fixtures, but...

Clar's Longest Sentence

One of the best things about our recent move is that we live less than an hour from my parents. We see Grammy & Bopba about once a week, sometimes we see Grammy a little more.

Last Saturday, I took the kids to Grammy & Bopba's house while Luke studied. We "helped" fill, I don't know, 15 bags of leaves. Clar loves to help, especially when helping includes jumping into a leaf pile to make sure it's big enough.

The other day, Grammy was here at our apartment. When it came time for her to leave, Clar was really sad and started to cry. I explained that she had to go home to help Bopba, and all of the sudden Clar calmed down and said "Bye bye!"

We met my mom for lunch yesterday, and when it came time to go home, Clar crawled on her lap and said, "Grammy home help Bopba!" I don't know if he pictures Bopba constantly surrounded by leaves and bags, or what. I'd love to know what Clar's really thinking. The more he talks, though, the more insight I have!

Craft Diet 2011

I think some of the overwhelmed feeling I've had the last 8 weeks comes from the state of our apartment. We're mostly moved in now. Pictures are hung. Boxes are unpacked. The storage space in the attic turned out to really help. There's one section of the apartment left, where I've been stashing everything that doesn't really have a home yet, and it's the space in my room between the bed and the wall. Our rocking chair is there, and I'd love for that to be a cozy space to rock our new little baby when he comes. But right now, it's still a disaster area.


I took some inventory of the stuff that's left there, and here's the sad truth: it's almost entirely my stuff, and it's mostly craft supplies. Stuff for sewing, crocheting, knitting, and scrapbooking. I thought I'd gotten rid of a lot before the move, but it obviously wasn't enough. SO I'm committing to a craft-supplies diet for the next year. Nov 1, 2010 to Nov 1, 2011. No new craft supplies. I'm willing to make small exceptions to buy supplies in order to finish projects that I've begun with the (ample) supplies I already have (matching thread, for example). But other than that, no new yarn, no new fabric, no new papers or stickers or anything like that. Because I have enough and more than enough, and it will be fun and exciting to use what I have. And maybe I'll even take pictures when I make stuff and post it here. Maybe.

Fall Update

We're still here!

Luke is keeping very busy with school. The kids and I are keeping really busy with school, meeting new friends, and finding creative ways to get out of the apartment as the days get cooler and shorter.

Clar has almost gotten used to the leaves falling off the trees, and no longer tries to stick the leaves back up. He's still impressed by the winding roads and says "whoa!" when I drive. He's also picked up the impatience of the Boston driver and yells "go!" when he feels I've hesitated too long before a left turn.

Ellie and I are still having fun with school. We joined up with the homeschool group on campus, most of whom are families with very young children. (There are three Ellies who all have little brothers!) We enjoyed apple picking with them in October and are looking forward to our next field trip later this month. Ellie and I do school together four days a week. We take Wednesday off, because that's the day she goes to BSF with my mom. They leave very early in order to beat traffic, and come home after lunch. Then, on Wednesday nights, the church we're attending has Bible studies for adults and kids' programs. Ellie says, "Wednesdays are the best days ever!"

Baby-in-the-belly Ezra is also doing well. After hours on the phone, my medical records were successfully transferred and I had my first appointment here last week. We're both doing great, and it's hard to believe we'll get to meet him in about two months.

Here are some pictures from our move and our fall in New England:

We rode the 1880 train in Hill City, SD:

We also checked out the dinosaur museum in Hill City. It wins the award for most dino-bones per cubic foot. Ellie took her digging responsibilities very, very seriously, and instructed several other patrons on proper digging technique.

Apple picking:

And apple sampling:

First day of school:

Snow White and the Football Player getting ready for the "Harvest Party"

We also took them trick-or-treating. Clar, who calls all candies "pops" caught on very quickly and thinks that trick-or-treating is about the greatest invention ever.

School Days

Luke started school last Monday. He's really enjoying his classes and his professors. He keeps very busy, and stays "up on the hill" during his work hours, then studies a little more after the kids are in bed. We're working out the schedule, but so far it seems to be working for everyone.

The kids and I started school last Monday, too. We're working through the "Five in a Row" curriculum, and we really like it! We read the same story every day for a week, and then do some of the activities related to the stories in different subject areas. Ellie's also been working on some basic math and reading skills. Last week, we read Marjorie Flack's The Story About Ping. Even Clar sat for the story, and Ellie was able to tell my mom the story by lunchtime on Wednesday. It's exactly the way I'd want to design a preschool curriculum, except I don't have to design the preschool curriculum!

We've met two other little girls who are also homeschooled, and look forward to getting together for monthly field trips with other homeschoolers here on campus. It sounds like the homeschool group has lots of younger-elementary aged kids, and plenty of toddlers, so we'll fit right in.

The fall weather has definitely set in around here. We like to say that we live in a park in the middle of a forest. It's beautiful. I'd show pictures, but if I waited to post until I had pictures, it'd be winter before I got around to it. Speaking of getting around to it, there are some chocolate chips begging me to turn them into cookies. And flattened boxes begging me to take them out. So I'd better go. This is the best my brain can do for coherent blog posts these days.

My Excuse

I haven't blogged since the beginning of May. Our "Momma school" bulletin board is stuck with the date on May 10. What's my excuse?

We're having a baby!

Our baby is due January 1, 2011. Given my history, I'm not expecting any Christmas surprises. We're thrilled to welcome another baby to our family.

Hubble

I'm always a little late on my news, since I listen to podcasts in the week after they post. Last Friday was the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

I remember seeing the pictures of the nebula, where stars are born, and of the deep field images, and feeling totally overwhelmed at the enormity of creation beyond Earth. I remember laying on my back and staring at the stars and trying to zoom in, with my imagination, on the stars and the galaxies behind them in the dark. People talk about the space race inspiring a generation of engineers. I hope there are images like these, and more, to inspire my children to study science, to write poetry, to investigate the mysteries of the universe, and to wonder at the love of God when they consider the heavens.

"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor."
Psalm 8:3-5