catch-up

so, so, so behind...

in lots of things, really...blogging, housework, the stack of good books i want to read, cooking *healthy* well-balanced meals, keeping up with the delightful friends in my life, and the list goes on.

somehow the summer snuck by and my calendar is now turned to september...eek...how did that happen? (probably with the flourish of august is ending a *new year* is beginning. (i know, i know...it isn't really a new year...but seriously, in my mind the turning of the calendar from august to september might as well be a new year. it used to signal the start of the school year...the planning of high school English lessons, the beginning of waking early after a leisurely summer of sleeping in, learning a whole new list of student names and faces. though i no longer find myself heading into a high school classroom, this season of the year still feels *new*.

a new MOPS year (and all the planning that goes with it when i'm on the steering team), thoughts of a new, crisper aired season (one of my favorites...but then again, i love them all for varied reasons!), the end of lake season, aisles upon end of school supplies, the start of pre-school co-op for my girlies (for the first time EVER!), breaking open some new school stuff at our house for the girls, the start of warm coffee mornings rather than the iced variety...and on and on.

for our family august brought lots of craziness. it started with a delightful weekend of celebrating kate's birthday (and enjoying the weekend with beautiful friends). it included jillian's very first visit to the ER (actually, the first ER visit for any of my three children). august was the month when i first heard the incredible and amazing sound of our newest babe's heartbeat, and the month where we really revealed our news...much to the delight of elizabeth who has informed EVERY, and i do mean EVERY person we run across that "my mommy is having another baby after Christmas"...and, of course, by after Christmas she means february or march! :) august was the month where i anticipated turning the corner in my first trimester ickiness only to be thwarted by allergies and a wicked summer cold. it was the bustle of getting a training meeting ready for the MOPS discussion group leaders, coordinating care for a dear friend on bed-rest, and constantly wondering "what's for dinner" due to my own lack of appetite and planning. august was a torn up kitchen undergoing a facelift...a facelift that is about 50% complete now (with the second 50% coming SOON!). in august we watched with delight as an oh-so-proud jilly took her first steps and grew steadier on her feet every single day. august was celebrating jilly's first birthday with sweet friends and a backyard cook-out. and, in the midst of the craze, august was beautiful...giggly...hot...fun...full....and so much more.

my "moustached" worker-bees...

the new sink mike insisted upon...and, oh my, i am sooo glad...it is huge and deep and beautiful. he insisted a bigger sink would be a blessing for a family of six (eek!)

in progress...we are picking up another section of countertop at IKEA today and will rip it into strips to use as a backsplash ledge (i say that like i know what i am doing...don't be deceived, mike and nathan will be doing the hard labor!)

what the end result will look like...white cabinets/drawers, nickle drawer pulls, butcher block counters.

and now friends...it is september. how did that happen?

last monday the girls had their orientation day for the "co-op-ish" preschool they are going to (it isn't really) a true co-op...but it is a homeschool pre-K through dialectic homeschool group that meets for classes with instructors all day monday. both the girls are doing pre-K as we begin exploring what homeschooling might look like if indeed that is the direction we take...so much to explore...to co-op or just stay home, curriculums, learning theories and on and on...a bit overwhelming (but exciting!). the girls loved their orientation day...and i had fun watching, as i volunteered for the orientation day. needless to say, at the end of the day i was the one who was the most wiped out! :) we've also been working (some days more successfully than others) to implement a new, more structured schedule with school time, chore time, reading aloud time, etc. to help our days go more smoothly. i'm trying...trying...trying to be a little more organized each day...to enjoy life a little more fully each moment...and most of all to smile at my girlies just a bit more often (oh how it is too too easy to fall into a "tired and frazzled" mommy persona!).

september has decided to bring a few cooler days to us this weekend, and that makes me almost giddy...if it weren't for my already kind of needing maternity clothes tummy...i would be sporting some jeans this morning. as it is i'll stick with the capri non-maternity pants that fit as opposed to digging into my maternity bins. the girls had their bi-annual (you know...twice a year) haircuts yesterday. that wasn't really planned so much...i got an e-mail from the salon about a two-day promo that happen to coincide with the umpteenth "i don't want you to brush my hair and keep it out of my eyes" straw that broke the camels back...so i made last minute appointments, and off we went. i like the results....a lot. so do the girls....and hair brushing and styling this morning didn't almost lead me to sin...hallelujah!

bobbed hair twins

kate finally got photogenic later...love that her hair just naturally dries smooth and curls so blissfully...is it wrong to be jealous of your three year olds hair?

and my favorite...the crinkle nose mischievous smile

yep...it is september. as soon as mike comes home from his half-day at work, we are heading out on a quick road-trip to IKEA...just an afternoon and back again later tonight trip...picking up a few odds and ends. right now it sounds fun...ask me later if that panned out as reality.

tomorrow, when the forecasted high is a blissful 72 degrees (can you tell i am pregnant and anticipating autumn...i might be a bit bummed if we had decided to spend the long weekend at the lake), we are planning to head to the orchard for some apple picking (and, of course, some apple-ish baking to go with that). my taste-buds are already longing for a fresh from the tree honeycrisp apple. :)

oh, and for those who didn't already know i was pregnant, i suppose i was bit sneaky just popping it in a post. i am, in fact, pregnant with #4...and my due date is march 1, making me right around 14 1/2 weeks (although i already feel like i look like i'm about 24 weeks....and if you saw me and didn't know, you would likely be in that "hmm...she looks pregnant...but i shouldn't ask because what if she isn't..." debate in your head). i am shocked by the number of people who feels so incredibly sure that we must be praying and hoping for a boy (because clearly, who in their right mind would go for a fourth for any other reason...). actually, yes, we would be thrilled if this one is a boy....just as equally thrilled as we would be by a girl. no, we are not having another baby in an attempt to "get a boy". yes, part of me does long for blue and for a mama's boy, for a brother for elizabeth (who so longs for a boy!), but honestly, an equal part of me longs for a fourth little girl...for more pink and girly, for another sister to my beautiful girls. and to top it all off, the major part of me cannot even begin to conceive of the reality of either gender! :)

and that, my friends, is a bit of catch-up. what it doesn't capture is all that is in my heart. lots that i cannot quite put into words yet. lots of thoughts rolling around about the sufficiency of God's grace and His provision...something i've been thinking about, seeing and living lots lately. my pastor last week quoted something along the lines that if we believe God can do the impossible, then we pray that way....if we aren't praying, then we are NOT exercising a believing faith. that, my friends, has been rolling through my mind a lot. i've been able to see the delight of a 4 (almost 5!!!) year old seeing God answer prayer...even something as simple as, "God, will you let it rain...but not storm because the storms scare me"....and then watching fat little rain drops plop onto our windshield a wee bit later. life is a beautiful thing.

i am blessed.