what's up weekly. (birthdays and all the things.)

I'm sorry to leave you hanging again!  I know that during this time of pregnancy, radio silence can be interpreted as news, so let me just first say that there is no news.  No major news, anyway.  I'm 37 weeks and now officially cleared for home birth.  I'm not sure what Kansas laws are about it (nor do I care), but my midwife feels most comfortable knowing that babies born earlier than this are born at the hospital, to make sure they have what they need in case their lungs aren't fully developed yet.  BUT in addition to that date hurdle, I'm still waiting a few more days for full assurance that I'll be able to birth with my midwife - her son is getting married this weekend, so she is not available until Monday.  I'm sure it will be fine, but I have that day in my head as a major milestone.  She'll come here for an appointment on Monday and drop off the birth pool, and then my mind will rest knowing we have everything we need to "go."

The baby has been in the correct position since very early in the pregnancy - "locked and loaded."  But last Sunday, I was taking a nap in a weird position to try to avoid heartburn, and the baby totally moved.  I'm having a hard time knowing exactly how it's lying now, but it is definitely different, and it feels "sideways."  Not great.  I am looking forward to having my midwife check it out and give me her thoughts or advice.  But, I've had slightly less back pain and heartburn since the baby moved, and the small amount of relief has genuinely been welcome.  Especially because we've been busy busy busy  and I can use any increased amount of functionality I can get!

So what have we been busy with?  Literally everything.  Get ready for a long post.  I'll try to do bullet points to keep things as concise as possible.

1. Todd finished the front yardwork for me.

After the boys planted the boxwoods for me, Todd finished everything up by laying mulch.  Last year, this whole side of the flower bed remained rocks and bare dirt.  I had only had the energy and the funds to do it in halves, and half a finished flower bed was more than none!  But doesn't it look so pretty now?  I just love it.  I'm so excited for these plants to fill in through the season and over the next couple of years.  I think I'd like to try to paint the shutters and front door later this summer if I get around to it, but I am so happy with how it's looking!

2. We had a birthday party for Juni and Penelope.

Both the girls have birthdays in April, so we often throw two separate parties, but this year Penelope wanted a "friends" party closer to her actual birthday, so this party was mainly for Juni.  Family came down, and we celebrated with barbecue and strawberry shortcake on Paw Patrol plates.  (Of course, I failed to get any photos of the family or the meals.  Doh.)

Both girls got to do a gift opening though, and both were thrilled.  Penelope got a set of twin quilts... which were the first clue she had that we will be giving the big girls their own room soon as we rethink sleeping arrangements for after the baby comes.

3. Major work commenced on the girls' new room.

Remember when we had that pipe burst in January?  The carpet was wet, and Todd had to cut multiple holes into the drywall just to find out where the leak was coming from, because the walls weren't wet - the water was pooling on the floor behind the wall and then seeping into the carpet.  It took a couple of weeks to even identify what was going on.  Once we found the leak, Todd was able to jerry-rig a solution that kept the water in the pipe and out of the house until our plumber friend could come help us fancy-fix the issue.  Our friend has been super busy lately though, and wasn't able to come until last week.  So they finally fixed the pipe up right, then Todd was free to close up the walls.

He had never done that before, so he asked our contractor neighbor to show him the ropes.  Jason showed him what to do and lent him the tools he needed, and Todd spent a week of evenings patching and sanding drywall.  It turned out so well!  Everything is smooth and looks like, well, like walls should look.  Job well done!

Then Penelope picked out some paint, and we worked together to get the room painted.  I edged and she learned how to roll, and we got some time to hang out just the two of us.  It was a gift in itself!  She's really getting excited to move into her new room.

Now all that's left is vacuuming up all the drywall dust and retacking the carpet.  I'll show you photos soon!  Then we'll start getting furniture moved in.

4. We celebrated St. George's Day.

The girls made cookies, and we read some George-themed poetry at dinner.

5. I did my own little bit of yard work.

Our backyard was once sod, so its growth pattern is a little strange to me.  It starts out patchy at the beginning of the season but then it fills in.  But between the fact that the previous owners had a dog, and the fact that our yard is verrrry small and so the whole patch of grass is "high traffic" now that the kids are running on it constantly, the bare spots weren't filling in as well as they should.  So I went ahead and cordoned off part of it and am attempting to reseed it.  I'll hopefully aerate in the fall as well.  We'll see if I can keep grass growing back there.  Doubtful, but I'd like to try to not end up with the Sandlot for a yard.  In the meantime, the kids have been playing in the field.  We have been so blessed by such generous neighbors.

On this particular day, the boys pitched a tent out there.  Not exactly sure what the game was, but there was a lot of walkie talkie action happening.

6. Penelope turned fourteen!

This girl grows more into a peer everyday.  She has interesting thoughts, funny jokes, and well-written stories at-the-ready to tell any moment.  She is incredibly musical, and has been loving Disney soundtracks lately.  If you ever wonder where she is, she can typically be found at the piano or in her room singing along to her guitar or CD player.  She is thoughtful and helpful and a joy to be around.  She is organized and a hard worker at her school work, working her way ahead whenever she can.  She is incredible at math and hopes to have all of her math coursework done by the end of 10th grade so she can try some applied math opportunities, like computer coding and bookkeeping/accounting.  She also likes trying her hand at many creative domestic things like baking, knitting, and decorating.

She's my right hand gal.  I don't know how I'd get through a day without her, and I'm so glad I don't have to.  She's such a good friend.

7.  She hosted her first "friends" birthday party.

She did most of it herself - she planned the menu, set the guest list, and sent out the invitations.  I just helped here and there where she needed me.  She made iced tea, cookies, finger sandwiches, and cake balls.  (The cake balls were a joint effort - they began as a cake, but that crumbled; so then we tried to turn them into tea cakes, but again, too crumbly; so then we made them into cake balls, which were quickly dubbed "squishies" by the teens at the party.)  She invited three friends from church, as well as her siblings, and they chatted and she opened gifts, and then they went and played group games in the yard until the party was over.  It was so much fun.

8. Our big, big news: WE FINISHED THE SCHOOL YEAR!!

Oh, this has been a huge relief.  I am so glad we got finished with plenty of time before the baby's arrival.  It deserved a celebration!  So we went to Donut Palace, which did not disappoint.  Then we took Last Day of School photos! 

The big kids wanted to take photos with the stacks of books they've read to completion this year.  Quite impressive, if you ask me!  There are authors in there like Churchill, Dickens, Hawking, all of which they read independently.  This was not an easy year for them, but they handled it with aplomb.  So proud of their work!

9.  We've kept ourselves busy with many other things as well! 

I've finished switching all the kids' clothes over to their summer wardrobes, which is always a huge undertaking that involves tons of extra laundry, but I did it!  I even took Penelope shopping, since she has outgrown her last size but I had no idea what her current size is.  But she got everything she needed, and the kids' bins are all clean and switched out, so I feel very accomplished.

Oey picked out her own outfit, so she feels very accomplished.

Laurelai has spent a lot of time dressed as Laura Ingalls, or a pirate, or a survivor of a zombie apocalypse.  Dress up has been the name of the game. 

The boys created their own WWE show, with choreographed moves and everything.  It was performed on the couch, so the crowd was seated in folding chairs to the side.  Notice I took a seat in the back so I wouldn't get faced by any thrown folding chairs or jumping wrestlers.

And lastly, Oey has discovered the joys of coloring.  She is turning into such a big kid.

So... THAT is what we've been up to.  I'm exhausted.  I have a few more projects to tackle before the baby comes, and then I'm just going to collapse and mentally prepare for what's coming.  Or I'll just keep moving to keep my mind off what's coming, and I'll go into it blindly.  We'll see what it ends up boiling down to.