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Warning:

Proceed with caution. 

This post may contain information you don't want to or need to know, but that I would like to remember.

6 weeks.

That is all I have left.

IF I deliver on time that is.

This has been the looooooongest pregnancy of my life. I feel as though I have been expecting forever.
It could be due to the fact that this time around we spent more time in deliberation than ever before. As my 35th birthday approached (13 months ago) I felt the desire for a new baby. My husband was quite sure that it was simply my maternal clock ticking, and at moments so did I. I wanted a baby, but was I really ready for another child? I wasn't sure for the longest time and I did not necessarily have a willing companion. And since I was not prepared to proceed without full consent, I waited.

Then one day, six months later, he came to me and said that he too wanted another baby. And so it began.

Now having passed my 36th birthday, I feel as though it is time I was about finished with this process already. As my due date approaches, my symptoms increase. It is always hard, but this time has been the hardest. First and foremost, I am tired - beyond tired. I have never felt this way . . . ever! I am tired while sitting down. This, combined with nausea, headaches, dizziness, back pain, and aching legs from varicose and spider veins, has tested my endurance.

I have also never been so emotional in all my life. I feel like crying (and frequently do) for no reason at all. On the other hand I have never felt happier or more blessed! It is one crazy mix of emotions. Which, to his eternal credit, I must say that Darren is handling with positive perfection!

But now onto the fun stuff. I have been having the best time preparing for this baby! My children all thought I was crazy when at 3 months pregnant (as soon as I was able to be somewhat mobile) I began planning and decorating the nursery; beginning with  moving the boys out and into another room. I knew that it would take me the whole rest of my pregnancy to complete this project. I planned and began to prepare for a little boy, so sure was I. But according to my ultrasound, another little girl was on her way. I then removed the beginnings of what I had already started for our son and started from scratch in the planning department. I have been sewing and decorating and ever so slowly working away to create a nursery for this baby. As more children have come to us and as our house has filled up, our last 2 babies have slept in our closet (which happens to be almost bigger than our 1st apartment). And we made due. This time, however, I wanted to have a real nursery, not because a baby cares, but because I do.

My goal was to put together this nursery as inexpensively as possible. We already had the dresser, the stool (Which is for Nya. She needs to be able to see her baby when she comes!), the bookshelf, the side table and some of the accessories, including the pillow forms. Darren cut out her initial from some MDF we had stored away, left over from past projects and a friend lent us the crib. We purchased a clock, the material for her bedding, the floor lamp, frames for the wall (which I filled with free artwork I found online, and some that I made myself - they will be hung around the room once the painting is complete), the diaper cart, crib sheets and a changing pad. The biggest item we purchased was the chair from Ikea. This is perhaps my favorite piece. It does not rock, but it is so very comfortable. We (the little kids and I) already use it all the time to read together in. All we have left to do is to finish painting the walls, otherwise we are ready and waiting for baby V.

  I will post more pictures once we are finished the painting - 

but just in case I don't get to it (which is entirely possible), here is what is finished so far.

  (Necklace made by Aunty Shannon)

potty talk, spring time, and other things . . .

"You are a poopy!" 

This is her new favorite thing to say. I hear it several times a day. I have never had a problem with a potty mouth child before, not as consistently as is the case with this one anyhow. 

So far nothing I have tried is working. 

I work hard to teach my children to be kind, and take care of their siblings. 

Truth be told (although I won't ever admit it to her) most of the time when she says it, someone is acting rather poopy! 

We will keep working at it.

I have been chilled to the bone since coming home from Hawaii. 

I have not been able to adjust very well. We were only gone seven days. 

I think it is all in my head. Even so, I miss being HOT! 

But spring is here. And it brings many good things. 

The frogs are coming out . . . 

. . . And boys are coming in from a good, long play outdoors (right where little boys should be!) VERY DIRTY!

Along with frogs those dirty little hands carry spring's first flowers. 

My heart is grateful to bursting every time one of these boys gives me a freshly picked flower. 

Umbrellas. 

My children have a particular fascination with umbrellas, as I am sure most kids do. 

I, however, dread spending money on something I just know (without a doubt) will be broken within days. 

But when I saw these in the dollar store, I did not mind in the least spending that looney on a girl who has patiently waited for one for about a year now. 

So far, so good. 

It goes with her, rain or shine, to the library, to the grocery store, while playing games with her momma, and even to bed! One of the most rewarding dollars I ever spent. 

We were able to go to the airport and welcome home one of our most favorite people. 

After two long years serving a mission, Kevin is home! We love you. 

Everyday I am grateful for a safe, warm, comfortable home in which to raise my family. 

Some days, however, I feel squished. We have five children in two bedrooms.  

One room housing three girls and all their stuff can become quite cramped. 

We do not have the space, nor do I have the personality to be pack-rattish. 

We regularly purge and organize. 

This is the only way we don't drown in our things, and I stay sane.  

Most of the time we do a pretty good job at keeping things tidy . . . 

. . . sometimes we don't. And we go to bed too tired to pick up.

 Although only two share this space - the same goes for the boys room. Our goal (or should I say 

my goal) is to be neat and organized - but some nights it is just easier to admit defeat and go to bed! 

  They do ask sometimes you know - If they can have their own rooms. As if rooms just appear when you beckon. I look them in the eyes, give them a smile and ask, 

"Would you trade your brothers and sisters for your own room?" They always say, "No!" 

But somehow when children are tucked into their beds for the night, and I go around and kiss each one, It does not seem so tight, it just seems perfect for us.

 My house is in desperate need for a fresh coat of paint . . . everywhere.

I started with the mantle. It was painted to look antique and rustic, which was cute 

seven years ago when we moved in, but over the years it has just begun to look old and dusty. 

It turned out really beautifully. It inspired a furniture rearrangement and new accessories. 

Not new really, I shopped the house, moved some things around, tried painting my coffee table, twice (which for the record did not work out, 

it has now, once again, been painted white) it feels like a fresh, new, clean space.  

We have been busy as ever attempting to homeschool. 

We learned all about edges, faces, and vertices today. 

 That led to castle building, naturally!

Happy spring, and everything else.

trim

 The staining is almost done. We just have the 2 very most high peaks of the house to do. I cannot reach them, even with the highest ladder, so Darren is going to finish the job. I haven't minded doing the work up until this point. It was hard, balancing on the top of a ladder and on peaks of the roof, contorting myself into inhuman positions, pinching my neck and back up as I went, but in the end I feel such a sense of accomplishment. Not in a prideful way. The entire time, as I would look around to see just how many more shingles I had to go and began to believe I would never finish, I changed my thinking and began to be grateful for a body that would allow me to work long and hard.
This morning we woke up early to add the trim to the windows. The windows never had trim around them, ever. It has always looked unfinished. I have been looking forward to this for a long time, but the staining had to come first, yet another motivator.

 You can see in this picture below the dark water and weather stains on the shingles between the windows. 

These did not get stained, because we knew we were covering them up anyhow.

That is what the whole house used to look like despite a good power washing.

Still more to do, but for now we are off to Walmart to get supplies, of the school variety that is - it starts today!