School Days

This picture is from last week. Allie couldn't wait to start math (her favorite subject) so she curled up on the couch with her new workbook. Ryan was trying to color in her book so we quickly grabbed a coloring book for him. :)

I'm starting to understand why parents groan about keeping up with all the activities their kids are into. This year is really the first year all of our kids are involved in something. Allison is going to be playing soccer, Emily is in ballet, and Ryan is starting preschool at the local school. (He qualified for it because he has a speech delay). Plus they are all going to be doing Awana. I'm excited for the new year but hoping I don't forget a child somewhere along the way!

Today was our first day of school and it was great fun. We read about people in different countries and the girls were both intrigued that in Japan it's customary to bow to others when you greet them. Don't be surprised if they bow to you next time they see you! We learned about compound words, practiced writing letters and numbers, talked about the science of water, and had some fun playing outside. We also had some Bible and devotional time. We use Sonlight as our curriculum and love it. It's a "literature-rich" program. Some homeschool programs have complex projects like making a Pilgrim breakfast and sewing period costumes for the kids to wear. There's no way I could do all of that! I like having the freedom to do the extra when we have time but not being required to do so.

I still have an i.v. in but am starting to get used to it. Last week I decided I was DONE with home health and all it's trappings, but then I got really sick again and knew we weren't quite ready to go off. More needle pokes, please! Hopefully soon this will be an easy pregnancy . . . .

Summer Pictures

Fun Days in our town. The kids loved this ride.

Ryan's third birthday present: a giant superman he could knock over again, and again, and again!

Why sleep like a normal boy if you can sleep with your head in a bucket?

Making the annual Father's Day shirt.

Our house with a blue door and blue shutters. Remember, these were a ridiculous white before. No imagination. Ignore the messy part in front of the house. We were working on a planter at the time.

The back of the Father's Day shirt. :)

Book Review Friday

My apologies ahead of time to anyone who isn't ready to hear the word "Christmas" used in August. I have been reading a lot lately but nothing absolutely amazing comes to mind, so I will tell you a bit about what I'm browsing through just for fun.

Adult Non-fiction:

The Gooseberry Patch Series by the Gooseberry Patch Group


This series has crafts and recipes for different times of the year, but my favorite books are the Christmas ones. I probably wouldn't be looking at these books right now if I wasn't stuck inside on an i.v., but trust me, they are worth it. One of our traditional family Thanksgiving recipes comes from this collection, and it's a sweet potato dish baked inside a pumpkin. Delish! These are the kind of books that make me long for a good snowfall and family time. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

One Year Old

It's so hard to believe our little baby would be one year old today. I really feel like it was just a few weeks ago that we were facing the greatest nightmare we'd ever face. About this time one year ago we were checked into the hospital and they were giving me something to get labor started. We could have waited to go into labor naturally but I couldn't imagine walking around for days knowing my little one was already gone.

This morning some kind friends watched our kids so we could take care of something that has been burdening me for so long; we ordered Isaac's gravestone! I have HATED not having a place to leave flowers or visit. We would have done it sooner but it's a few hundred dollars just to get the basics, so we had to save up. We are so thrilled that they will be making a temporary sandstone marker while his permanent one is created. After the permanent one is in we can take the temporary one home and put in in a special place in our yard.

After visiting the monument company we stopped in Babyland to sit by his grave for a while. I didn't really think I'd cry but I did. It wasn't even so much just for us but for all the parents who have little ones there. It's hard to read all the graves that say "our precious daughter" and "beloved brother" without getting choked up. Life is so hard sometimes.

I want to thank all of you who have been praying for us today. We appreciate and love you!

Drama, Drama, Drama!

Even though Ethan works from home, he can't take care of the kids and I during the day right now while I'm so sick. So we have come to visit my parents at their house.

My doctor approved a home health care nurse to come out and put an iv in each day so I could stop going to the hospital every few days. So Monday night this nurse came out and started explaining what I would need to do every day with the iv. Then she tried to get it started.

I debated whether or not to share this story on my blog because it's kind of embarrassing, but then I thought of my friend Kelly and how she shared the story of what happened when her little boy literally "broke her face". So, with that in mind, here goes . . .

I wasn't feeling good to start on Monday night and the first two attempts to get the iv in went really badly. She would insert the needle and then probe to "find" where my vein had disappeared to; the whole time my stomach is churning. On the third attempt I told her I felt really sick. I laid my head down on the table and that was the last thing I remember. When I came to my mom was standing over me crying and calling for my dad and the nurse was taking a blood pressure cuff off. Apparently after I laid my head down my mom looked at my arm and it had turned gray. She then saw me go into convulsions and I passed out and fell onto their wood floor. (I'm so glad I don't remember that part!) When I came to I started throwing up. And here I'm thinking, okay, this is definitely a low point in my life. Laying on my parent's kitchen floor too sick to even lift my head and throw up in a dignified way! Oh, fun times.

The nurse finally got the iv in on the fifth attempt. I know people pass out sometimes when getting iv's, but I don't know that convulsions are normal or what caused that. I will be SO grateful when this stage of pregnancy is over!

Like a Bug

Laying in bed last night, I came to the disconcerting realization that every time I fall asleep I am most comfortable in the position of a bug hitting a windshield. Yeah, you read that right. I remember having a discussion about sleeping positions many years ago with my dear friend Amber. She knew somebody who always slept like a model. You know, hands folded under the cheek, pleasant smile on her face. Ha.

I'm most comfortable laying on my stomach with arms and legs splayed wherever and head twisted at an extreme angle. Poor Ethan. This is why we chose a king-size bed when we had to replace ours a few years ago. I'm sure I'm some chiropractor's dream right now, but he's gonna have to wait. No one is talking me out of my favorite sleeping position!

How about you? How do YOU fall asleep?