Top 10 Things . . .

. . . I miss when I'm pregnant

10. Painting my toes. I can't even see my toes, let alone maneuver myself to actually be able to paint them. I'm thinkin' I need a pedicure. And while I'm at it, I cannot wait to put my shoes on all by myself again. Or at the very least, I wish that flip flops were an option. It's so rainy, wet, and muddy here, I don't think I can quite get away with them yet. And watching me attempt to try to bend over to put my shoes on? Pure comedy.

9. Deli Sandwiches. Okay, so I'm sort of getting used to it now {8 1/2 months later}, but I miss my turkey sandwiches :( Sometimes it's a struggle to find something quick *and* safe to eat at lunch time.

8. Being able to climb the stairs {or do anything, really}, without being completely out of breath.

7. Having an "inny" belly button. Enough said.

6. Decent skin. I don't have the most beautiful skin to begin with, but it suffers tremendously during pregnancy.

5. Being able to blow my nose or floss my teeth without needing a blood transfusion.

4. Getting out of bed all on my own, without the assistance of a crane.

3. Not feeling as though I'm going to pass out if I spend more than 2 1/2 minutes in the shower.

2. Being able to stand up from a sitting position without experiencing sharp, shooting pain in my legs and back.

1. Going more than 5 minutes between bathroom visits. Oh this girl is camped out right on my bladder all day and all night. It is nothing for me to get up 6 times during the night. And during the day . . . well, it's ridiculous.

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Okay, now that I've gotten that out . . .

Can you keep a secret?

It may not seem like it, but I am actually going to miss being pregnant. *Someone* has made it abundantly clear that 4 is the absolute limit for us. So while I may be huge and uncomfortable and emotional {alright, a big teary, blubbery mess}, I just know how much I'm going to miss these days. Carrying a precious baby, {keeping her all to myself}, feeling those sweet kicks, and truly enjoying the miracle of life.

Make Believe

Someone got an early birthday present . . .

Hooray!

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I was feeling like a big fat bratty whine-baby after my "forecast" post. Shame on me for complaining about our weather when so many others are truly dealing with extreme weather. I'm sorry :( It's no excuse, but I'm huge, tired, I waddle everywhere I go, and I'm in a fair amount of back pain daily. I'm just grumpy, y'all.

Anyway.

Instead of whining about our weather, us girlies decided that we would just make believe that we're enjoying sun and warmth.

We started with a little of this:

And turned it into a little of this:

Yes, the sunglasses were mandatory.

And apparently we had a little too much fun, because this happened:

While we're playing make believe, I'll just pretend I have a maid to clean it up for me. Ahhh, playing pretend is fun, isn't it?

Wordless Wednesday ~ At the Doctor

Seriously?

Alright, I know I've been a big whiney baby about the weather, but . . . .

Seriously?

We've had two dry days of 70 degree weather since last October, and this is what we have to look forward to for the coming week? Rain every day with the possibility of it being dry on Tuesday?

Um . . .

IT'S THE END OF MAY, MOTHER NATURE!!!

Projects!

So, turns out a blog break isn't all bad. The girls and I have been enjoying some beautiful, sunshiney weather {finally!!}, and since Jeremy is off hunting, we've had a little extra time for . . .

Projects!

Oh how I've missed projects. We've been so busy lately ~ moving and organizing and getting settled; finishing up our school year; preparing for a new baby; and all sorts of other odds and ends, that we just haven't had much craft time. But the last couple of days we made the time.

A sneak peak:

For her birthday, Makenna received an American Girl sleeping bag for her doll. Sierra's been wanting one ever since. So the other day we were at the fabric store, and I picked up some super snuggly {and cute} minky with thoughts of just making a sleeping bag myself. I'm not a seamstress. At all. I love making baby blankets and bibs, little burpies, and even some appliqued onesies, but I don't do zippers or anything crazy like that ;) But I attempted it anyway, and we thought it turned out pretty cute! I even stamped a little silver tag that reads: Meg, {her doll's name is Meagan}, and attached it to the zipper.

I've also been making little headbands and photo props in anticipation of our new little one's first pictures! Can you tell we're a liiiiiiitle excited about her arrival?

Kam decided she like this one, and put it on for awhile ;)

I love these colors.

And a tiny little basket that she can snuggle inside for picture day :)

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That's what we've been up to. How about y'all?

Sierra and Makenna had a dance performance on Saturday at the annual Spring Fling. Most years the weather is gorgeous. One year? 92 degrees. This year? I don't know . . . 50? So we got our glitz on, bundled up, and headed over. And they did such a fantastic job!

I love this shot because Kam is always looking to her big sissies. She wants to do everything they do. I'm pretty sure we may have another one in dance soon ;)

We had a bit of a wait before it was the girls' turn to dance. So Gramps provided the perfect seating.

First Kenners' class . . .

Then Sierra's.

Then we took off because we were freezing to death ;)

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So . . . the laptop officially died {and I may have almost cried} :( And the desktop is barely holding on {and runs at the speed of a snail. Seriously, this one post took me FOREVER}, so I may not be around much. Just thought I'd mention it lest you all think I went into early labor ;)

Speaking of? We may just be closer to a name for this little girl. Whew!

Too Much

Anyone else ever feel this way after a dinner at the Olive Garden? ;)

Wordy Wednesday ~ Finally Time For Flee-Floffs

What? You've never heard of Flee~Floffs?

Flee Floffs is Kam's special word for Flip Flops. Oh that girl has the cutest ways of saying things!

And while we're talking cute . . . I'm thinking she might have the cutest little tootsies too.

We had some sunshine yesterday, so we broke out the Flee-Floffs. {And I've been trying SO hard not to whine about the weather, but I just have to get this out of my system . . . according to the weatherman, it's been over 200 days since we've had more than one day in a row of 70 degree temps. And I think we've had a whopping two days, MAX, that we've even hit 70. That's seven months people . . . RIDICULOUS. Okay, now I feel better}.

How about y'all? Are your toes ready for Flee-Floffs??

Savin' Some Money

I may have mentioned before that TLC's show, Extreme Couponing, is a new favorite of mine. I sit there in awe when I watch these people saving 90% + on their groceries. And it's made me curious if I could save money too. I know I'll never be able to save the kind of money these folks are saving. I simply don't have 40 hours a week to devote to coupon clipping, organizing, searching the internet for the best deals, driving around to multiple stores, and going on several shopping trips per week {nor would I choose to spend my time that way even if it were an option}. Besides, gas is expensive, y'all! And since we live FAR from town, I'm quite sure that a good portion of the money I'd save by shopping multiple stores, would be spent on the gas to get there. But as I said, I'd be happy just to save a little.

Now, before we go any further . . . If you you are a couponer of any caliber: READ NO FURTHER. Please. Because my savings are going to sound so incredibly puny and ridiculous to you. Pinkie swear? Okay. Moving along.

So, last month I started by purchasing a Sunday paper. I have never used coupons before, but I knew the paper would be a good source. And then I went to Safeway.com {because I typically shop at Safeway} to see which digital coupons I could find {that I would USE ~ that is key}, and load directly on to my store card. I then made sure to document all grocery purchases. No more "It's only a gallon of milk, I don't need to count that". Nope, I wanted to know *exactly* how much I was spending. And when I looked back through previous months' receipts and statements, I was amazed at just how much I was spending. Much more than I had thought.

Anyway, by simply paying attention, clipping some coupons, and actively trying to find the best price on items {some items aren't negotiable for us, we tend to be brand picky}, I saved close to $200 last month. And I am hoping to save more this month.

Today, I was excited to go grocery shopping.

I even stocked up on items that I didn't need right now, but will in the future {think multiple bottles of shampoo and conditioner that happen to be on sale now, but may not be the next time I need them}. Or, yeah, the four hundred million bottles of Coke. I'm still not sure how these people get all of these items for free. But I'm working on finding that out ;)

My goal today was to save 30% of my grocery bill. The most I've ever saved was 26% {and it's embarrassing how excited I was about that} , so this was a bit of a stretch. But . . . I did it! 30% ~ nearly $86. And we hadn't been to the grocery store in almost two weeks, so we needed a LOT.

If you've made it this far, congrats ;) And also, think about using a coupon or two. I promise it'll make you really happy to see your savings.

Babies!

There is so much going on at the homestead these days, I have trouble finding the time to document it all. Just one of the many happenings around here? We have new babies ;) Yep, plural.

Last year Jeremy built a little home for our animal friends, in hopes that some wood ducks would take up residence and raise a little family by our pond.

Is that the sweetest little home sweet home? I think so too :) So, a couple of weeks ago Jeremy noticed a duck hanging around. After investigating a bit, he found that she was, in fact, laying eggs in that little home.

So we waited patiently, knowing that the chance of seeing any ducklings was slim to none. Once the eggs have hatched, Mama and babies hang around for a mere few hours before taking off.

Imagine our surprise when Jeremy came tromping up to the house to inform us that there were ducklings down at the pond! We grabbed our cameras, and off we went! Quietly, of course. We didn't want to disturb them.

This is what we found when we got down there. SQUEAL!

Are they the CUTEST things ever???

And a fun little story: If you take a close look {sorry about the grainy photo but I don't have a zoom lens, so this is severely cropped}, you'll notice that two of those little guys are a different kind of duck! Apparently another mama laid a couple of her eggs in the nest, and this mama kicked her out before they hatched. Don't worry, though, she's apparently adopted them ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Hug your littles. Hug your Mama. And enjoy this special day!

Test Day!

Wow, things have been crazy busy here! What with holidays, visiting family, finishing up the end of our home school year, testing, and everyday odds and ends, I think we're in need of a vacation.

The other day I mentioned that Sierra was due for her required testing. Home school students in Oregon are required to be tested after grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. This was Sierra's first ever BIG test, and we were a little nervous. I had no worries about her meeting grade level requirements, but I did worry about her lack of experience with testing. We've done our own math tests and quizzes, but a good portion of the time Sierra is free to ask questions or obtain help. Besides, this test was at an unfamiliar testing center with an instructor whom she'd never met. All adding up to a situation that was nerve-wracking, to say the least.

Sierra and her best friend before testing began.

A small snack break between the Language Arts and Math portions.


And then . . . .

One of the best parts of the day! A celebratory lunch out with friends.

And this sweet "forever friends" necklace from a very dear friend.

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We were surprised and happy {and a little nervous!} to find out that results would be available by the time we were finished with lunch. So we swung back by the testing center and awaited the scores, as well as a short meeting with the instructor.

Sierra did so well. She was above grade level in all areas, and even tested at an end-of-5th-grade level for the math portion. Needless to say, we are all so very proud of her. And also breathing a small sigh of relief that it is over!

Our sweet girl is growing into such a beautiful, talented, and smart young lady.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Bubbles

This Is Going To Be A Long One

Just for my own journaling-peace-of-mind, I feel the need to get a few things out so that I can remember everything that is going on these days. I don't have the greatest memory anyway, but add "pregnancy brain" to it, and it's bad. So, feel free to click away today. I may just bore you to tears if you don't.

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I feel like I haven't documented this pregnancy at all. At least, compared to my pregnancy with Kam. I kept a journal on Storknet.com, and was required every week to submit an entry. I LOVE looking back on that time in my life, and I'm sad that I haven't taken the time to do it this time around. So, a few updates as far as that goes:

*I'm huge. Let's just get that out of the way now. I gained about 40 pounds with Sierra, and I am definitely going to make it there with this one. Sad, sad. The funny thing is, I am WAY more active this time around than I've ever been before. Hauling girls to dance classes twice a week, chasing after a two year old. I rarely sit down. {And please, please do not start in on "Well, you're older this time". A girl doesn't especially love to hear that she's old, mkay?} So . . . who's going to hold me accountable for getting my boot in gear to try to lose all this weight after she is born? C'mon, somebody step up.

*This little girl still has no name. And instead of narrowing the list down, we seem to keep adding names. We {the girls and I} all want to be able to call her by name, but Jeremy seems content to wait until she's born. I'm still making peace with it ;)

*This pregnancy is wearing me out! Okay, I'm going to try really hard not to complain too much, and also to remember how much I have to be thankful for. But, I just wouldn't be real if I didn't at least mention these aches and pains. {It's also important I document this for a year or two down the road when I'm having newborn envy}. I was in a car accident when I was young, and for as long as I can remember I've had back pain. It seems to get worse with each pregnancy, and I'm at a point now {probably the huge amount of extra weight isn't helping}, where I almost can't sit down, because if I do, I can't get back up. I have sharp lower back and leg pain all.the.time. Also, sweet baby girl is camped low. REALLY low. Like, the last time I was in at the doctor she said "Holy cow, she's really low!" Yes, thank you, my bladder knows this well. A bit of fun trivia: Makenna was the same way. Her head remained down and so low for such a long time, that poor little thing had quite the cone head right after she was born ;)

*I was hospitalized with Kam at 33 weeks and 1 day. I'm creeping up on that milestone in this pregnancy {actually, according to my own dates, I'm there}, and it has definitely made me think. I am so thankful that I've made it this far without any complications. Each day this little one grows stronger {and chubbier!}, and more healthy, and I am extremely grateful.

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Sierra is scheduled for her end of 3rd grade testing this Wednesday. Oregon requires home school students to be tested at the end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. I wish, wish, wish, we had taken it upon ourselves to test last year, just so that she'd have the experience, but alas, we didn't. I don't worry at all that Sierra is behind. In fact, I'm quite sure she is ahead in most areas. However, testing {especially at an unfamiliar facility} can be nerve-wracking, and while she does have tests at home, they aren't at all like the one she'll have this week. Any prayers for peace for her {and me!} would be greatly appreciated. She's a little apprehensive.

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And just a quick update to my resolution to read through the Bible. No, I am no where near completing this task. Actually, I'm still only in 1Kings. But it's progress. And with as crazy busy as life has been the last several months, I'm proud of it.

Rollin' Along

Last week the girls were invited to a birthday party . . . at a skating rink. At first I was a little nervous. I can't skate right now, 7 1/2 months pregnant. Oh, who am I kidding? I can't skate when I'm not pregnant. I have serious balance issues, people. And the girls had never been, so we don't have a lot of experience on wheels. But the invitation came from a very dear friend, and we couldn't not go. So I figured we'd try it out.

Sierra and Makenna had a blast! Kam just hung out with me {and the cameras} ;) After the first five minutes I was afraid they'd never go skating again. The rink is slippery! But after a short break they were out there again and again.





And I couldn't resist getting a little footage of this guy. He was gettin' down with his bad self out there, and it totally cracked me up!