what's up weekly. (break, glorious break!)

Well, friends, the second week of break is under our belts and I have to say I'm loving it.  I'm so grateful we were able to get done with school quickly so that I would have this time to prep for the arrival of the baby and get a few last minute projects taken care of before I'm out of commission for a few months.

The big kids still had some work on their final writing assignments, and Atticus still had a few reading assignments left, so we weren't totally out of the woods, but they finished those up and now we are completely done!  I started putting away our school books this week and switching them out for next year's books, and if I have time next week while I wait for the baby's arrival, I'd like to work on getting their work organized to put in their portfolios, along with ordering photos from the year to put in.

Should I put in all the photos of their face paint shenanigans?

  

(When we lived in Missouri, state law required us to keep a portfolio for each student with examples and proof of their work, so I used it as an opportunity to make a kind of scrapbook for each kid for each year.  Now that we're in Kansas, it's not required, but it's worth keeping up with.  The kids love to look through past records of their work, and the photos of themselves playing and creating and reading and working.  I'm grateful for the process kind of being foisted on me for so many years so that it became an expectation.)

Anyway.  We tried to get some housework done - I had the kids deep clean their rooms, and I switched out some of the toys now that nice weather is here and we don't need quite the same number of indoor options available.  Legos and a lot of the dress up got put away, and closets got organized.  The big girls are getting really excited to move into their new room and to have a closet of their own that they don't share with the littler girls.  I can understand that. 

And speaking of the new room, we made more progress in there.  I keep having to tell the kids, "One step at a time!" with this project: we're making slow but consistent progress; it's just that these things aren't done in a day!  So Atticus helped me assemble the bed frame and move the mattresses around.

We'll be tackling a trundle situation, better lighting, more furniture, some curtains and art on the walls.  But we're getting there!

I think we're going to need to make a very, very low profile trundle for Lolo's mattress using furniture sliders, as well as use bed risers to get Penelope's bed frame up off the floor a little higher.  Still troubleshooting that.  But my sister and brother-in-law came down yesterday for the afternoon, and hung a curtain rod and installed a couple of wall lamps, so the room has come even farther since this photo was taken.  One step at a time.

A major milestone that took place this week was that I took Penelope to the DMV for her permit test, and she passed!  She looked so confused when she stood up from the computer - I asked if she had passed and she said she didn't know!  She had gotten exactly the required number of questions correct, but because it was so borderline, she was a little disoriented.  She took a while to really start realizing she had actually passed!

Displaying her temporary (VERY temporary, obviously) permit.

Atticus had a lot of mowing jobs this week, so I spent most of my Wednesday trucking him around town for those.  I actually kind of like the opportunity to sit in the sun and read, or to chat with friends, while he mows.  He'll also be at work on the farm all day today and tomorrow, so he's working hard, filling his schedule, and making good money.  It's a good season for him!  He spent some of his Christmas money and work earnings on some airsoft gear this week, but otherwise has been doing a great job of saving most of what he makes for things like a truck, trade school tuition, business expenses and investing.  I have an adult on my hands.

Look at his watch tan line! And it's only early May! 

And just to prove our house is just chock full of adults, here is Rocco at OFFICIALLY eight-and-a-half.  Everyone grows up too quickly.  I have a bone to pick about this.

Like I mentioned above, my sister and brother-in-law came down for the afternoon yesterday and helped me tackle a few projects.  Besides the indoor projects I already mentioned, Austin brought some yard tools that I don't have, so he taught the boys how to use the blower to clean out the rock beds, and also set them to powerwashing the back patio.  GLORY.  I love having a clean yard (though I realize it's too much to expect regularly in this season of life).  Then Austin drove some of the kids to the yard waste site to gather compost for a few more projects: Lolo and Callista are going to plant their own gardens in some big planters I found on sale, and I need to switch out the dirt in Stumpi's cage.

I'm really feeling the urge to get random jobs like these finished in the next week or so, so it was so nice to have help getting a handle on these things.  On next week's agenda are a few training opportunities for household jobs the kids will need to take over during postpartum, organizing the food and storage rooms, helping the kids clean out their cubbies, possibly getting the kids signed up for swimming lessons, and taking the boys on an outing to the local military surplus store.  Seems doable at Giant Pregnant, right?!

And speaking of the pregnancy, I am now 38 weeks and ready anytime.  My midwife had been unavailable last week, and I was still missing quite a few supplies, but all that is resolved now.  She came to see me on Monday, told me the baby is in a great position for labor (I had been pretty worried), and from measuring she thinks my due date is a pretty reasonable expectation to continue to hold.  She had a new birth pool sent directly to the house, so it arrived yesterday and once Todd experiments with getting it blown up and making sure the hose hooks up to our shower, we will be set and ready to go whenever.  At least, all the ducks will be in a row.  Is anyone truly ready to HAVE A BABY?!!!

I am ready to be done with pregnancy, but I'm not convinced I'm ready for labor or for newborning.   But I honestly feel less anxiety about it than I have with previous pregnancies; I think my strategy this time is "don't think about it until I have to."  So that's what I'm doing and it seems to be working out okay so far!  Maybe I'll regret it when the day comes and I'll wish I had planned ahead better, but I'm pretty committed to my choices at this point, so we'll see how it goes.

BUT.  We haven't done no planning.  Todd got seats moved around in the van and the baby seat installed.  He put the very back van seat back in, since it seats an extra person, but then we lost all our trunk space.  So then he removed the first bench seat so we gained cargo space in the main area of the van.  I think it will take some getting used to, but I also see certain advantages to it.  The "loading dock" aspect comes to mind - everyone can get in and then file to their seats instead of standing in the parking lot while they wait.  I can also see definite advantages for vacation travel.  So it should be a fun change!

Baby seat ready to go!!

And beyond that, I would just like to mention that we ate really well this week.  First, our Sabbath dinner was especially pretty if I do say so myself.  

Our Ascension Day feast was especially fun - we had guests, so we broke out the beautiful, extra-long charcuterie board that Austin made for me, and Todd read poetry and we all sang hymns, and it was just wonderful.

And lastly, Todd surprised me with a date night on Wednesday, and we tried out a new place in town - it was AMAZING.  It has been a while since I've had a dinner that good.  It was nice to get out and hang out with Todd one-on-one, and have a bit of a breather from baby prep mentality.  

And that was our week!  And now we begin the countdown to the final days before baby comes!

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.