Here we go:
1. We started homeschooling in January. Why? I did it with Nick for the first half of first grade and I loved it! It was such a revelation to me because I am the girl that always said I would never do it; that it was great for some people but not for us. Hah! God likes to show us His plan isn't always ours. I had been praying about it for quite sometime and as soon as I finished work at the preschool, I knew it was time. Many people homeschool for many reasons. For us, it was about a less hectic lifestyle. A simpler lifestyle. One where we didn't have to run, run, run all the time. There were days when I would only see my children to bathe them, feed them, and put them to bed. I hated how much time they were in school and extracurricular activities and how little interaction I had with them. I always kid with Steve I'm only a few light sockets away from being Amish, in that I LOVE the simple life. Homeschooling is not less busy, but I'm busy in ways that I can embrace and be happy with. I love the shape my children are taking and I love how much of them I get to see. I love how they embrace one another and how Nick can now take guitar lessons and Luke can do gymnastics and Nick can play basketball and we can do AWANA's at church on Wednesday nights if we want. I love teaching and I love watching them learn. I am so happy that God gave me a heart for children, a heart for teaching, and a heart to make my life's work our home. I can't say what the future will bring, but I can say that for this season, this is the right place for us.
2. Kate's name...Her name has evolved this month from Kate Elizabeth, which we moved away from due to Elizabeth being an over-abundant family name, to Katherine Olivia, which we moved away from because Steve and I aren't in love with the name Katherine, to Olivia Kate, and she will be called Kate. Calling her by her middle name is a little weird for me, but Steve loves it and he says I can call her Olivia Kate if I want. He had a list of people that go by their middle names and he is so pleased to be able to say that "he named her". I really can't deny the man anything and it is a beautiful name.
3. Fun with food - this month, thanks to Pinterest, we have been eating well. (Probably explains the weight I've gained...that and the pregnancy and all...) We've been having fun with our foods as well. I made North Pole Pancakes that looked like Rudolph, Angry Birds sandwiches that look like the red bird from the game, plenty of yummy dinner things that even the children have been scarfing up, and let's don't forget the desserts. Sigh. I had to take a minute there to think about dessert. :-)
4. The boys started gymnastics and both are doing great.
5. Nick is rocking it on the basketball court, much to his father's extreme joy and happiness. He is a great guard, handles the ball well, scores lots of baskets, and is fantastic at defense. These are Steve's high points. Mine is that he is over the moon happy on the court and after.
6. Baby Kate seems to be doing great - she is growing well and we have a date scheduled for her delivery. The trick is I have to make it to 39 weeks and 2 days because my weeks turn over on a Saturday. I do not believe we will make it to that point; I never have before but she may fool me. She is measuring a little big, just like her brothers did, and to quote all the doctor's and nurses "She is the happiest baby in the place". This is how they show astonishment at how busy she is. One nurse looked at me and said "let's just hope she sleeps". So far, she is the only one that has spoken my thoughts!
7. Cravings - Sugar! This baby would have me live off sugar. Seriously. I have to be more careful. I eat a toaster strudel for breakfast, banana sandwiches for lunch, and we have breakfast for dinner at least once a week and we always have a dessert. I didn't crave sugar with the boys but I'm telling myself that maybe all this sugar will make her sweet. ;-) In all honestly, I'm trying to cut it back if not all the way out.
8. Science experiments - one of the fun perks of homeschooling is the science experiments we get to do. I try to do one a week. So far this month we have made Ivory soap clouds in the microwave, dancing raisins, and had glow-in-the-dark baths.
9. Field trips! We've been to the Discovery Place, the Reedy Creek Nature Preserve, parks, and are planning a trip to the Raptor Center. All three of my boys had a ball at the Reedy Creek Nature Preserve - we discovered the outside tree house and this cool place where you can try to build a hut out of sticks and a frame they have pre-established. Steve tried to run across the rope bridge, designed for kids but able to hold the weight of a grown man, and got so unbalanced that I almost wet my pants laughing. Nick was very worried that Steve was going to break the whole thing. We have to teach that child to laugh more and worry less.
10. Well, not a happy memory, but I guess I should write it down - I was sent to the hospital twice this month. Dislike. I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes for hours and hours and I had to spend the night on an IV drip and receiving shots of Trebutaline. Not fun. Then they let me go home and I had to go back that night because the contractions came back and wouldn't stop for hours. So, they checked me out and sent me home with a Rx for something to stop them at home so I could quit coming in every time they started up. So far, I'm 33 weeks tomorrow and not on bedrest! A miracle. I have never made it this far without being dilated and on full bedrest so I am thankful for every day I get to be a normal, functioning, 8-month pregnant lady. As normal and functioning as anyone at this point. Except those ladies that run 26 mile marathons while in labor and then deliver 2 hours later. I don't believe that is normal. ;-)
There it is - our month. Crazy, imperfect, full of laughs, tears, and all the things in between. And now recorded so we can remember forever!
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