Project Life: Weeks 37 & 38

September 9 - 15

You just can't NOT smile when this little man giggles.

Daddy took the kids on an adventure to return some Redbox movies...and couldn't resist this sweet face asking for ice cream.

 I signed the kids up for a fun learning class that my friend, Chris, is teaching at a fun learning store in town.  Each class has a theme with a book, activity, and project.  Today's book was about cloud shapes, so the kids got to make their own cloud pictures.

 

The kids were so serious about their painting projects.

The kids just love library days, because they love books just as much as their mommy.

 It also helps that the library has fun puppets and other toys to play with.  Almanzo was quite amused with the puppets today.

36 week baby bump

There was a fun kid's parade before Ted's race and the kids had a blast decorating their bikes, "racing" around the block, and eating some yummy snacks just for them.

 Almanzo is very serious about bike races...and he wasn't so sure about the clowns.

 Our favorite racer

Sunday, we were supposed to join Ted for another bike race, but Valerie was fighting a cold and my allergies were making me dizzy and nauseous all weekend.  So, the kids and I hunkered down at home while Ted went down to Lake Geneva for another WORS race.  We were bummed to miss out on cheering him on and a chance to visit with aunt Sarah and cousin Danny.

I'm starting to hit the uncomfortable stage of this pregnancy as baby is running out of space and my body is getting ready for labor day.  The kids seem to think that means they can cause even more trouble.  Their latest scheme was to get into the vapor rub...and I pour it all over Valerie's hair.  It took several washes and finally a bunch of coconut oil to get it all out, but her hair is still a bit greasy looking.  These two certainly keep me on my toes!

I found out at my 36 week appointment this week that I am already 2 cm dilated and my doctor seems to think labor could happen sooner than my due date.  Valerie has been telling me quite often, "mommy, your belly is getting too big, so you need to go to the doctor so you can have the baby".  She also insists that he come soon, because "I want to meet him NOW!"   We are anxiously awaiting his arrival, but praying that whenever he arrives his lungs are ready to breathe in this world and that his arrival is less dramatic than our last two experiences. 

Friday, we decided to go ahead and travel to Hayward, WI for the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival as planned, but, since I was having sporadic contractions and some spotting, decided to pack my hospital bag and the car seat just in case.  We also decided to drive part way back Saturday night so we could make it to a family gathering on Sunday and break up the long drive home.  It ended up being a beautiful weekend and we enjoyed cheering on our favorite mountain biker. 

***

September 16 - 22

My favorite little girl

After a busy weekend, the kids were so tired they insisted on falling asleep in mommy's arms.  I am so blessed.

 "Mommy, I make a tower!  Take a picture!"

 Some days, we spend all morning in our pajamas and cuddle up watching a Netflix movie.

 Somebody was excited about an early birthday gift arriving in the mail this week.  "Heavy! Heavy!" he said as he heaved it up over his head and declared, "I got it, mommy!"

 Like mother, like daughter - wearing a skirt to play t-ball!

Almanzo loves his new t-ball set from uncle David & aunt Cherylyn.  Valerie got one for her birthday two years ago, so they spent the rest of the night playing t-ball in the basement.

Sunday, we joined my family at my parents' new home for a Klein family Thanksgiving.  My cousin, Sparrow, is visiting from Washington with her daughter, Matia, and my uncle Larry is visiting from Canada so it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the family we are so thankful for.  It was also an opportunity for my parents to invite the family back to my grandparents' home as it becomes their home.  They were all excited to see the changes they've already made and to hear all the plans for future changes.  And, of course, it is such a blessing to continue celebrating the legacy of family my grandparents left behind in the house that love built.

Valerie's imagination continues to amaze me.  Lately, she has been talking non stop about her baby dolls.  She is such a little mommy, rocking her "babies" to sleep, making sure they are fed and clothed, and telling me all about their daily adventures.  One morning, she woke up and said, "Mommy, I really tired...cuz my baby waked me up out of bed! I need tell her not do that, so I can sleep."  

Our littlest peanut decided to tease us with contractions again for several hours Thursday night and then all morning Friday, including during my OB appointment.  I am still 2 cm dilated, but my cervix has thinned quite a bit and baby is definitely head down.  We thought for sure we'd have a baby over the weekend, but contractions slowed down again and we are more than happy to let this little one keep growing healthy and strong.

Project Life 2012: Weeks 34 - 36

We are still working on recovering what photos we can and, since most of my daily photos are now taken on my phone using Instagram, most of the Project Life updates will now include Instagram photos.

August 19 - 25

Our poor computer...which is now holding all our files and photos hostage...

Lazy post vacation days call for lots of cuddling on the couch watching Netflix movies.

 

 Big girl helped push her brother during our early evening shopping excursion to find the perfect going home outfit for little brother.

 We finally found the perfect going home outfit for our littlest peanut.

 33 weeks baby bump

 He insisted on mommy cuddles...and how could I resist?

It amazes me how quickly our kids can figure out the latest technology.  Almanzo was having so much fun playing a matching game on grandma's Kindle.

Bath time saves the day every single time!

So excited to spend time with this sweet momma!

My sweet parents, who just celebrated their 31st anniversary...and are still very much in love.

Our week started out on a major downer - our computer completely crashed, with all our files and photos.  I was literally in tears, but, thankfully, I have photos saved from blogging, facebook, and photo websites I use often.  We've been using the laptop my dad fixed up for us for the time being and have already ordered a new external hard drive to backup our files in the future.  Lesson learned: always back up photos and files in more than one location.  And, if your external hard drive breaks, buy a new one immediately, before your computer has a chance to crash too.

We've also been slowly getting ready for our littlest peanut's arrival.  The kids helped me pick out a going home outfit for him on one of our shopping excursions.  We are also getting excited for my sister's baby to arrive, any day now.  We thought she would make an appearance this week, but she decided it was much more comfy to stay in her mommy's womb for a little longer.  We can hardly wait to watch these two little ones grow up together!

Saturday, we headed to my parents' house to stay overnight before another bike race.  Ted blessed me with the night off, so I was able to join my parents and my brothers at a wedding reception for one of our childhood friends.  It was so much fun to reconnect with the Jacobs family, a family of five kids just like ours who spent a lot of time with us when we were all younger.  I especially enjoyed reconnecting with Corey and his wife, Laura.  Laura and I became Facebook friends when her son was just a newborn and this was our second time meeting in person.  It's funny that it took Facebook to make us friends, when I grew up with her husband, because she has been such a blessing to me. 

***

August 26 - September 1

 There is not much sweeter than wake up to this little man curled up next to me in bed.

Four years old...going on fourteen.  Seriously, this girl is a hoot!

The kids enjoyed a fun play date with friends during my eye doctor appointment today.

 I just love watching the man I love read from the "God book" and pray with the kids every night before bed.  It melts my heart every time.

She is quickly becoming my big helper.  She wanted a drink of water, so she climbed up on a stool, found a cup, added some ice, and then filled it up with just the right amount of water.  I can't get over how fast she is growing!

I just love this photo of my little man reaching up to me with full view of his littlest brother still snug and safe in mommy's womb.  I am blessed.

Daddy and his little man - I just love these two.

Miss V helping aunt "Seda" cook dinner at my parents' house.

This week started out with a bike race, but the rain kept the kids and I from cheering on our favorite mountain biker.  Instead, we spent the day at my parent's house and the kids soaked up the extra attention from Gramma and Pappi.  My parents are slowly making my grandparents' home their home and it's exciting to see the changes they are making.

The kids kept me entertained all week with their silliness.  They are growing so quickly these days.  Valerie is learning to write and recognize her letters and is just so eager to learn new things.  She is also our little drama queen; all of life is her stage!  Almanzo is all about "I do myself" lately, which often exhibits itself in plain stubbornness.  We are in the process of potty training, but it's a long process.  The only time he seems to be willing to actually use the potty is when we let him run around the house naked.  The moment we put a diaper or underwear on him, he doesn't want anything to do with the potty.

Ted has made a routine of reading to the kids before bed from a kids' devotional bible we have.  It's so sweet to hear them talk about Jesus and even sing songs about Him throughout the day.  They always take turns praying with daddy and I love hearing what they ask to pray about.  Almanzo always asks to pray for a bike race and Valerie remembers to pray for her littlest brother to be healthy and safe.  Then, before they crawl into bed, they both make sure to kiss my growing belly and say goodnight to their baby brother.  It melts my heart every time!

***

September 2 - 8 

Meeting our sweet niece...and we already love her so much!

Our afternoon snack is often a homemade smoothie (almond milk, peanut butter, fruit, and a touch of honey) and the kids get just a little bit excited when it's smoothie time!

First night of a new year of Awana and Almanzo made his debut as a Puggle this year.

35 week baby bump

My sister has been sending us photo updates of sweet Karli and we just can't get enough of her!

Like father, like daughter - our engineer in training doing a little bedtime reading. 

According to Valerie, a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes.  These are her new sparkly church shoes and she can hardly wait to wear them!

Our niece, Karli, decided to make her appearance this week and it was the perfect start to a new month.  We spent our Memorial Day meeting her and falling in love with every perfectly and wonderfully made piece of her.  The kids haven't had a chance to actually meet her yet, because hospital policy prohibited young children from coming into the recovery rooms, but they love seeing pictures of her and talk about her often.  We can hardly wait for them to finally meet her and for her to be joined by our littlest peanut soon.

The excitement of our niece's arrival put me in full on nesting mode.  I spent the rest of the week working on freezer meals and getting everything ready for baby.  Valerie and Almanzo are getting so excited to meet him.  They ask often when he's going to be here and Valerie said, "I want to meet him now!".

This week was also the start of a new year of Awana.  Valerie began her second year of Cubbies and Almanzo began his very first year of Awana as a Puggle.  They were so excited and talked about it all day.  Valerie was so sweet, telling Almanzo how fun it would be and helping to calm his nerves as we drove there.  He was a little shy when we first arrived, but by the time we picked him up he was all smiles and excited to tell us about his class.  I just can't get over how fast they are growing!

Awana Opening Night

Two weeks ago, a new year of Awana began at our church.  Valerie began her second year of Cubbies and Almanzo made his Awana debut as a Puggle this year.  They were both so excited about it and, although Almanzo was a little shy at first, they were both all smiles and chatter all the way home. 

Summer Vacation in the U.P.

The week after the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic, we enjoyed a beautifully relaxing and peaceful week at our "trip home", a cabin by the lake.  We rented our own little cabin, originally a two bedroom, but upgraded to a three bedroom by the sweet owners since the original cabin was being unexpectedly rented out long term.  It was such a blessing to have our own space for nap times, bed times, and simply time for the four of us to enjoy time together away from the busy-ness of daily life.

Sunday morning, we attempted to find a local church to attend, but goofed up on the times so we were a half hour late when we arrived.  It wasn't far from our cabin though, so we just drove right back.  Race days always wear us out, but walking around all day at eight months pregnant really did me in.  And, really, Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest, so we took advantage of the quiet peace of the lake and our schedule free vacation to rest and recover.

The rest of the week was mostly spent at the big cabin where Ted's parents and the rest of the family was staying on the same lake.  The kids loved wading in the water, fishing off the dock, taking canoe rides with daddy and grandpa, running around with their cousins, and simply enjoying the great outdoors.  By the end of each day they were covered in sand and dirt, but happy as can be...and, as a bonus, they slept so well after playing hard all day long!

Monday night, we had an impromptu little birthday party for Valerie and her cousin, Eren, whose birthdays are just a month apart (July and August).  My mother in law and sister in law found a delicious recipe for a gluten free coffee cake using the Pamela's baking mix my mother in law brought along and baked it alongside a regular cake mix.  Valerie suddenly became shy when it was time to sing happy birthday and cuddled up with her aunt Vickie while we sang and opened birthday gifts.

Tuesday, half of the family decided to make an overnight trip to Mackinac Island, but we opted to stay back at our cabin.  We planned instead to take a day trip to the U.P. State Fair which was only an hour away from where we stayed.  Ted's parents joined us along with the younger four and Laura & Eric.  We packed a picnic lunch and spent the day enjoying a fun kids' scavenger hunt exhibit, seeing lots of farm animals (and the kids even got brave enough to pet them!), watching a lumberjack show, and exploring the antique village with a real working saw mill and all kinds of unique little shops.  By the end of the day we were all exhausted, but it was a day well spent.  The kids learned so much and were talking about all the animals for the rest of the week.

Wednesday night, the Mackinac Island crew returned and we enjoyed a family cookout around the campfire for one last night.  My mother in law convinced us to pose for a family photo, which is quite a feat as this family just keeps on growing...and no one really seems to enjoy photos nearly as much as my family does.  Mackenzie set up the camera on the tripod with a timer and ran into the photo at the last minute so we could all be included.  And, after several attempts, we lucked out and got a few good captures that we will cherish for years to come.

Thursday morning, we packed up the van, checked out of our cabin, and spent the rest of the morning lazing around at the big cabin watching the rain pour down over the lake.  For lunch, my mother in law cooked the big bass Mackenzie caught the day before, which we nicknamed Billy the Bass.  I can't handle fish or any other kind of seafood with this pregnancy, but I heard he tasted pretty good.

After lunch, we said our goodbyes and began the long drive home.  We stopped at my parents' house to exchange vans (since we had borrowed theirs to have working a/c on our trip) and enjoyed steak and corn on the cob for dinner with my brothers.  By the time we got home, it was bed time and we were all exhausted.  I fell asleep that night dreaming of the quiet peace of the lake and a wonderful week full of memories.