First Photo Shoot

Well, I have hit the 18 week mark which has come very fast. We had our ultrasound today and thought I'd share a few pics. It's amazing what technology can do. I told Adaline we were taking pictures of the baby today and her face lit up, she grabbed my tummy and said "My baby boy?" I said yes, your baby boy. She's convinced. I told Eliza and she said, "Mom, you can't take pictures of the baby, it's inside you." I haven't showed her them yet as it was a crazy day, but she will see them tomorrow. And, no we didn't find out the sex of the baby. So for those of you have been asking when I'm due, It's end of May.

Ups and Downs

Well like most weeks, these past few have had their ups and downs. The glorious first few days of potty training were obviously to lure me into a false sense of security. Although things are still going very well and she had an entire week without a single accident, there were a number of days with some very tricky accidents. But that's how we all learn right?
We've had a rough weekend with each of us with a different ailment and pour Eliza continues to yoyo up and down with a fever. It's hard to see your kids struggling so much and there being very little you can do. Patrick has been amazing getting up the the kids at night as I have been more sick than him. We're glad we had the weekend to rest.
On the Up side, we are all getting very excited for Christmas and enjoyed spreading Nativities throughout the house. We are planning our annual parties and are mostly done shopping. One of our favorite traditions is to fill a small manger with hay as we complete different acts of service, so that baby Jesus will have a soft bed by Christmas Day. Eliza came downstairs the other morning and announced that she was going to make my bed. She did a really good job too. I enjoy seeing my kids learn about serving others and this is such a great time of year to learn these lessons.

I finally downloaded some pictures, so here are our new counters and kitchen (still a couple things to do) and a Halloween picture of the girls with their cousins Freyja and Cora and Eliza's snowman she made herself.

Counters and Panties

Well we have had an exciting week at our house. We had our counters installed last Monday and I am really enjoying them. It is hard to believe that we went almost a year and a half without any counters. It's so nice to be able to wipe the counters with a cloth and not have them pop off when you lean on them. It's amazing what you get used to. I would post a picture, but I refuse to download any more pictures to my computer until the others are on disc which seems to be more difficult than it should be. Once I get my pictures organized I will post before and after pictures of the kitchen. We still have a few little things to do, but we are very close to the end of the kitchen saga.

The next excitement is the Panties. Adaline has been in underwear since Thursday and has only had one accident a day and made it through the night last night dry!! I'm excited to have 6 months with no diapers until the next one gets here. Adaline is hilarious to watch on the potty. She likes to go on the big toilet and she won't use a stool but climbs up on top so that she is standing and straddling the toilet and then sits down. The other day she came to me to tell me that her foot had fallen in. She is so funny!! I try not to watch as it makes me nervous, but it's funny because she is so small. This go around of toilet training has gone much more smoothly, but that seems to be Adaline's way.

I just keep adding random pictures until I get some more recent ones on the computer. This is Eliza way back in February, but a blog is more fun with pictures.

Family pictures

My sister Esther took some pictures of our family a few weeks ago. We had lots of fun and got some great shots.

Two votes for a boy

Well, the girls have talked about the new baby coming more than I thought they would. They are always wanting to kiss the baby (my tummy) and brainstorm ideas for what to name it. Eliza is often asking when it is coming, and then says that she is too excited to wait. The current vote is for a boy, but it definitely varies. Adaline has started praying for a baby boy. We had our first midwife appointment this week and heard the heart beat which was exciting and comforting. We have two new midwives this time plus Maura who has delivered both our babies. We are excited to get to know them. We are also excited that Midwifery will be covered in Alberta as of April 1st. So if any of you were thinking of making the switch, nows the time. We're not sure how much will be covered for us for this baby, but it is a promising change. So I guess that I'm going to have to change my blog to "A bicycle built for five"!!!

Enjoying the warm weather

Well, I'm a sucker for warm weather and will put off all sorts of things like cooking dinner and house work if there is warm weather to be enjoyed. The girls and I biked around the neighbourhood to go visiting teaching even though our first trip was not quite warm. I sometimes get a little irrational when there is a promise of warm weather and insist we head to the mountains on the warmest day of the week. It didn't quite happen, but we went out on Saturday despite the chilling wind and enjoyed a beautiful walk in the protection of the trees. Of course I took my camera and left it in the car, so no pictures to enjoy. We went on a little walk we had done when Eliza was 9 months old and it is amazing to think what has happened since then and how much our children have grown. Hopefully there are a few more warm days to enjoy before the first snow hits.

Finding joy in the little things

WEll, I'm not sure what to say. I feel like I need to come up with some introspective commentary about life. Usually I've got six months to try to catch up on, so I have lots to write. OK, here goes, My joy for the week, was teaching Joy school. We do this home preschool program where we take turns teaching and I really enjoy it. I love it when Eliza is off to play with her friends and I get a bit of a break, but I really love teaching too. We made apple sauce this week and learned about seeds and plants and I just love seeing them learn and their desire to experience new things. I love to see how they interact with one another and learn how to help and love and sometimes, what not to say. I enjoy being called "teacher" and have the opportunity to share what I know from my life experience and share stories about when I was a little girl. These kids grow up so fast and lately I have taken to just watching them and enjoying their expressions and dialogue and songs. I'm really trying to find joy in the little things.

My new goal

My new goal is to try to update once a week, so we'll see how it goes. I also need to figure out how to attach all of your blogs to mine. Anyway, I have ordered my counters and they should be in before Christmas. It took weeks just to get a reliable quote, but it's finally in process. I'll post a picture as soon as the counters are in. I think the counters will do a lot for it, despite the advantages of random pieces of board for counter.
We also just finished taking care of four of my cousins for a week. It's very different having kids that can help out more and that stay up later. They are really good kids, but I have to say after being the mom of 6 for a week, I was a little more tired than usual. I guess it's a good preview as we are expecting our third child in May. We're very excited, but glad for the few months to get ready for the new arrival

I'm still alive

Well, my record this year for updatinng my blog is bi yearly; it could be worse. It's been a crazy year for our little family with me working a couple days a week and still living in unfinished renos. But, we have now hired someone to finsh the kitchen and are feeling good about that. We've done a lot and have to be satisfied with letting someone with a little more time and experience finish it. My hope is to be able to send pictures of the finished kitchen by the end of the summer.

I've also quit my job at the children's hospital and will still pick up the odd shift. I enjoyed the work, but enjoy my children more. We've had lots of fun so far this summer being outside when the weather is nice, which is not that often ti seems.

What me stressed?

I remember that my mom had a shirt when I was growing up that said "What me stressed" and then there was a very stressed out cat on it. Well that about sums up my month. I always think that things are going to slow down after Christmas. You'd think I'd have if figured out by now, but apparently not. I would add some pictures to my blog of Christmas, but I haven't downloaded them off my camera yet and have no plans to do it tonight. Sorry to all those who have diligently checked this blog to find no updates. I am not really a true blogger, it is just a new format for my once every few months update. The only exciting thing that has happened this month is that I now have some new holes in my roof, a few of which are filled with lights, so we will actually be able to see the food we are eating. We're very excited about this new development and continue to anticipate the day when we are finished renovating the kitchen. And I plan to have one big party when I do and you're all invited.