Movin' On Up

Today was Danyn's Pre-K Graduation party!

The kids performed in a brief program where they sang "The Wheels on the Bus", much to Dany's chagrin. We heard several times before today, "You don't sing Wheels on the Bus for a graduation." Despite her lack of enthusiasm for the choice of song, she did well and smiled the whole time. Afterwards, the kids were called up one by one to receive their diplomas.

Dany made a new best friend this year, so we had to make sure to get a picture of her and Tressa together.

We hope that they get to be in the same Kindergarten class next year; these girls are two peas in a pod. After the program, we all enjoyed a picnic outside of the school. Dany was able to say goodbye to a bunch of her new friends, and we snapped a picture of her two Pre-K teachers, Miss Katie, and Miss Maria Luisa.

Dany really enjoyed her time in Pre-K, and is crazy-excited for Kindergarten to start. She proved herself to be an excellent student, and was very well behaved. We're proud of all the progress she made this year, and look forward to next! Love you, Dany!

Happy Birthday to Ree!

We tried to give Ree a nice, relaxing 31st birthday this year. We sent her off to lunch with her good friend, Nicole Kiser. For dinner, Ree and I went to the Melting Pot. We had been there once before on one of our anniversaries many years ago, and she had mentioned wanting to return recently. If you've never visited the Melting Pot, it's a fondue restaurant. They place the pot right on a burner in the middle of the table. We enjoyed a cheese course, a salad course (no fondue action for that one!), and then both had Filet Mignon and veggies for the main course, cooked in a tasty broth. Good stuff.

After dinner, we opened presents and had some strawberry shortcake as her birthday cake. Rory was very excited to help blow out the candles, as you can see below. Rory almost hyperventilated, with nary a whiff of air actually reaching the flames. 

Happy Birthday, Ree! Sorry this posting is a week late. :( You are an amazing wife and mother! We love you so so so so so so so so so so much!

Making Progress

Things continue to be quite eventful at our house these days. I am completely shocked at what my kids will sleep through during the day, but I count myself grateful that I'm not dealing with over-tired children amongst all the other chaos. As of today, we have two big new windows, all the framing, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical are completed, and insulation and sheet-rock should be going up next week.

Maisie's New Room

Dany & Rory's Room

West Facing View of New Family Room

East Facing View of New Family Room

I wish I could say that the whole process has run smoothly, and that we're getting exactly what we want, but I'm afraid it hasn't worked our that way. We've had to make a lot of concessions we didn't realize going into it, but I'm determined to make the best of it. It's not as we originally thought it would be, but I think it will definitely serve our needs, and hopefully serve them well. And if nothing else, it's going to be all new and fresh and clean. That alone makes me happier than I can say.

Thanks to Teag's hard work, another project has now been completed. After a few days of weeding, tilling, and preparing the soil, our vegetable and flower gardens are now planted! I love having a garden. Nothing beats eating a tomato right off the vine, still warm from the sun, or a cucumber that isn't coated with that waxy sort of substance all grocery store cucumbers seem to come with. Fresh salsa, zucchini and squash, mmm. I love it.

Since I am nearly at my due date, and bending over has become much trickier these days, Teag recruited some other little helpers to assist him in getting the job done.

I applaud his patience, as oftentimes having the younger ones "help" ends up creating more work, but I think it's important to teach your kids the value of hard work early, and also give them some ownership in something they benefit from all year long.

It's nice to see progress being made, feeling like things are being checked off the list and put into place. I have a week until my due date, and though I wish our basement would be finished before Bilbo arrived, I know it's coming along and this will be only a temporary inconvenience.

I can't wait to get to that place where all the hassle is out of the way, and you start to feel like it's all been worth it. :)

Some Ruminations on Motherhood

This year I am celebrating my eighth year as a Mother. Eight years of motherhood began in a darkened hospital room, amid a fair amount of pain and confusion, uncertainty and eventual elation. Or maybe I should say that motherhood began nine months before that, when I first became aware there was a tiny life inside me. I've never regretted the decision to become a mother to my three (soon to be four) children. In fact, it's all I've ever really wanted to do.

I know some people struggle with the newborn phase, and are exhausted immediately following birth. I am not one of them. After every delivery I feel a certain elation that I've learned to associate with the birth of my children, and the opportunity to hold that rare and precious infant, to call it mine, is something I treasure among my most valued memories.

Newborns are my favorite.

That's not to say that I don't suffer through the same exhaustion, pain, soreness, and frustrations as every other mom out there; it's just that I find a special solemnity in the new spirit who's arrived in my home, an innocence and purity that goes beyond their soft skin and sweet smell. With each new infant, I feel renewed in a way I can't describe, a feeling of absolute love and trust enveloping me when I hold that tiny bundle.

This particular Mother's Day feels especially profound to me. I'm within a few short weeks of delivering what will be (as far as we know, anyway) our last child. It will be the last time I feel the peculiar wiggles, stretches and kicks inside me, the last time I watch my belly expand beyond what logic might dictate. And the last time I hold a newborn that is in fact MINE. It's never quite the same to hold another persons child, after all.

I've tried to savor the ups and downs of this last pregnancy, not wishing it away too quickly, paying attention to every little movement. I've come to think of it as how he communicates; that it's his way of saying hello. Even now, with so short a time left, I'm not overly eager for it to end. Teag most likely is, I'm sure this past nine months has been no picnic for him. But they grow so fast once they're out, the changes are constant and rapid, and while I enjoy every new stage, it's those first few years that disappear in the blink of an eye.

That is one thing I've had to learn to recognize; the joys of every stage. My kids are far enough apart that I can see the differences clearly illustrated, and anticipate what is to come. As they grow, and I get more and more unsure that I'm doing the right things for them, I think back to those first few months of life, when I was privileged to glimpse their spirit and witness the truly miraculous awakening of a soul to this earthly life.

I often find myself saying to Teag, "Does it ever shock you that these are OUR kids?" as so often I feel like one myself. But I am so very grateful that they are, and know that I am incredibly blessed to have these children in my life. They have elevated my existence to levels I couldn't possibly have understood when I was younger.

Motherhood, one of those rare, but so very precious gifts that never stops blessing you.

First Recital

Maisie has been taking piano all year through a free after-school program, and has really enjoyed her time there. They meet twice a week, about a dozen kids or so, for a little less than an hour. As such, it's not quite the same as if she had one-on-one lessons with a teacher, but she's learned a lot this first year, and is eager to sign up next year as well. Last night they had a recital to show off their skills. Our niece and nephew, Caitlyn and Gavin, also participated in the program.

Gavin

Caitlyn

Maisie

Since we don't really have a piano at home for Maisie to practice on, we weren't really sure of her capabilities, and were quite impressed with both how well she did, and the fact that she didn't even need her music. Here's a snippet from her piece.

Maisie has talked to us about taking piano lessons over the summer, so she can keep her skills up. I just wish we actually had a place to put a piano, so she could practice with it. I think piano is something Maisie could really excel in if she chose to. Good job, guys, we're proud of all of you!

Update

It's my goal to post updates on how our remodel is going, complete with as many pictures as I can take. This is a big deal for us, and I want to document our progress :).

First of all, the shed. It is all but completed, and held an incredible amount of stuff from out of our basement. So despite all that hassle, purpose served. I think it looks fantastic, and I'm immensely pleased with it now that it's done.

Next, our basement. Shortly after my first post, the demo crew showed up and made quick work of all the extraneous walls, ceilings, doors, etc, and we are now left with this.

Old Family Room

Old Utility Room; this part wasn't even visible before demo

Old bathroom and kids room

We've had many very loud days around here, but Rory has done surprisingly well napping through it. We've met with contractors and plumbers, and HVAC guys, and concrete cutters, and as of tomorrow, stuff should actually start going back in, which will be nice. Both Teag and I have commented on how surprised we are that the space seems smaller with all the walls torn down, but I'm guessing that's just because it seems so much darker down there. Not exactly a place you want to spend any time at the moment.

And as for my own personal project, I'm pleased to say that after a little scare today, Bilbo is doing just fine.

I am now 36 weeks, and have so far only gained 12 pounds. In the two weeks between my last appointment and today, I gained all of four ounces. As such my doctor was worried that my placenta might be failing, and ordered another ultrasound. Needless to say, Teag and I were quite concerned, but I was extremely relieved when they were able to get me in today. If the placenta was failing, we were talking stress tests, monitoring, and possibly an earlier than looked for delivery. Thankfully, he's measuring exactly as he should, so I guess it's just me that's not gaining weight. Obviously this isn't my first rodeo, and I've never had a problem like this before, so I don't really know what to make of it. I just pray it doesn't cause me any future complications.

We've got many crazy weeks ahead of us with all of these things going on, but I'm glad when we're able to start checking things off the list. Soon the girls will be out of school, and we need to get Dany registered for Kindergarten. We've got the baby coming, and the remodel-in-progress. We need to plant our garden, and re-shingle our roof. And all in between our regular life and commitments. So much to do, so much to do, and so few weeks to do it.

I can't wait.