I Didn't Cook Once

This past week, I hit 20 weeks in the pregnancy.

I'm feeling really great and thankful to be past the icky weeks of morning sickness.

And as the title implies, I didn't cook not even once the holiday weekend.

We ordered pizza and had it delivered, we ate breakfast at a cafe downtown.

We had lunch at Ikea, several fast food joints, and David cooked a bunch.

It was a nice break for me to not be in the kitchen.

Once.

One morning, Harbor and David shredded potatoes to make

homemade hash browns and skillet omelets.

They were yummy.

He made BLT's with garden tomatoes, chicken stir fry from scratch,

and took me to McDonald's for Dirt Coke runs.

His cooking was my favorite part of the weekend.

: )

We also did quite a bit of shopping.

Ikea for nursery items: new drapes, a dresser, and a crib bumper.

While we were at Joann Fabrics, I picked up a Fall Bingo game. 

We played many times as a family.

And a few of you messaged me about  Harbor's Brain Quest Cards.

This is what they look like.

Different colored boxes indicate different levels.

The questions are formatted similar to this.

With the answers immediately following.

My day today will be spent folding four baskets of clean laundry.

I'm not sure how three people can accumulate such mountainous laundry, but apparently

I took a break from laundry as well as cooking over the holiday weekend.

: )

It was a great decision on my part.

I loved time with my family.

Belts and Beans

Thanks to Pinterest, I stayed up after my boys went to sleep one night and whipped up a cute new belt.

I've not worn it yet, but am thinking this long weekend might be a fun time to debut it somewhere.

David has three days off from work, which never, ever happens.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time,

you know how many hours and days he works.

Needless to say, this belt just screams,

"You're off for three days! Let's celebrate!"

: )

Our garden is still full of life and making lots of veggies.

In fact, the tomatoes appear to be coming on at unprecedented rate.

I'm thinking I may need to pull out my mason jars and can as many as I can.

In the meantime,

pasta salad with nothing but

noodles, fresh tomatoes, Salad Supreme seasoning, and homemade Italian dressing

are a staple around here. 

Thank you for all of your kind words regarding the newest little member of our family!

Harbor is very excited to welcome a little brother in just a few short months.

He has taken to calling my growing baby bump, "Moses."

We're not sure where this is coming from, other than church, but it is pretty comical.

Harbor has really come  a long way this summer in his "preschool" at home with me.

He is starting to read and has memorized around twenty basic sight words.

We both really enjoy the Brainquest kindergarten cards

{we bought ours at Sam's Club}

They are based mainly on logic and reasoning,

but I am a huge fan! We love the format of the questions.

He has also taken a new interest in volcanoes.

He talks about them nonstop

and from his Brainquest cards, he has learned words like:

magma, crust, lava

As a result, he and David set up a "volcano" in the swimming pool one evening.

It was a fun hands-on treat for Harbor after dreaming for so long about volcanoes.

Ha! 

: ) 

To buy a few minutes of time to work in the kitchen or check emails,

these mixed beans, a glue picture, and a tray sure keep him busy!

I'm not sure how we will spend this long holiday weekend, but am looking forward

to having David home with us.

We have discussed going to the beach and painting the nursery.

But with SEC football starting today,

I'm sure David has plans of his own that

involve the television and a bowl of popcorn.

: ) 

Ultrasound News!

Today was our big ultrasound.

I was a bag of nerves, to be honest,

and called a friend to pray with me as I was heading out the door.

After a miscarriage, you never take anything for granted.

Prayer can be so difficult sometimes.

Prayer works, not to change the mind of God, but to change the heart of His people.

"Lord, let me accept your will. Let me praise you all my days, regardless."

As the ultrasound technician reviewed every nook and cranny,

she declared health and was all smiles.

I audibly praised God for His mercy,

For the gift He has knitted in my womb.

Children are God's best gift, a reward.

A gift I don't deserve.

And as our sweetheart brought a thumb to mouth,

I vowed to raise this child to love and fear the Lord.

There is no greater job than to bring your children to the lap of Christ.

And with another BOY on the way,

I'm going to be busy chasing them down!

: )

Good and Perfect Gift

I am wrapping up week 18.

This pregnancy is flying by so quickly.

Though I have not felt fabulous, I am a bit sad to see it pass in such a hurry.

With Harbor, I think I posted maybe maybe four or five

"maternity" type pictures total.

Most of them were from my baby showers.

I'll admit that I'm not much into belly shots.

That being said, with friends and family so far away,

I know they appreciate seeing the new developments week to week.

Tomorrow is our big ultrasound.

Above all, we are praying for a healthy baby;

for God in heaven to find favor with this good and perfect gift from Him,

for blessings of health and strength and vitality.

I know it is every parent's prayer as they approach this stage of pregnancy.

But an even greater prayer, is to trust in Him.

To believe He has quilted our family plan to His specifications.

Any guesses?

: )

Summer Wind Down

As we were heading out to church on Sunday,

 I had David snap a picture of me to document week 17.

I am currently 18 weeks and have gained a total of 5 pounds.

Our big ultrasound is on Monday.

Please pray with us for a healthy little one. : )

While all of my Arkansas friends are back in school,

we are still having summer here in Michigan.

School starts in September {in two more weeks}and we are enjoying

lots of low key days at home.

This is the start of my second year to be home full time as opposed to teaching 5th grade.

While I miss it and enjoy looking back through my blog at my classroom pictures

every year for open house, I love being home full time.

While I folded laundry upstairs this week,

Harbor worked on a new puzzle in our bedroom sitting room.

Laundry in this 1928 house is quite daunting:

laundry room on the lower 3rd level of the house and bedrooms on the top floor

mean two different sets of steep staircases to navigate.

Thankfully, David does the heavy lifting and I just wash and fold. : )

Having your camera ready at all times means catching early morning giggles.

I purposely turned my flash off to capture Harbor in motion, zooming around.

I wish I had his energy!

: )

Just today, Harbor asked to sit on our bed for a picture.

But after a few shots, he had other plans.

Mainly, fort building with mommy's fun pillows.

{Please don't comment on how long Harbor's legs look in this picture. Sniff, sniff!}

He was calling the Hogs as he was jumping.

Thata' boy!

: )

We've baked a few cookies....

I've had a MOPS meeting here at our home and am

really excited about serving on our church's leadership team

this year concerning this ministry.

Being a mom, whether working outside the home or not {I've done both }

is a challenging job with no rest for the weary, and I'm looking forward to helping mom's connect.

I'm in charge of the ladies' craft time- so much fun!

And just look at these three beautiful zucchinis freshly picked from our garden!

Now I need to decide what to make with them.....

Any ideas?

: )

Four Months

I am about four months {16 weeks} and feeling more energetic with each passing day.

Baby flutters are becoming more and more common.

My mind is beginning to turn to nursery decorating.

A trip to Ikea may be in order soon. : )

We have spent our second Michigan summer enjoying a lot of down time.

We have spent a few afternoons swimming and Harbor  really enjoys the water.

Summertime is not my favorite season, but I am enjoying the easy care-free days.

I am looking forward to Fall and walking the downtown with a scarf wrapped around my neck.

In fact, the weather has turned off cool here the last few days {upper 70's} and yesterday, I wore a long sleeved shirt. It was pretty blissful. We are hoping for more cool days and a chance to head outdoors without sweating as much as we have been here lately.

Our garden has taken off! We are officially having a hard time eating what we pick everyday.

We average 20 cherry tomatoes a day, which are easy eats, but 15 cucumbers a day means we have been giving much away to friendly neighbors.

It feels nice to pick our snacks fresh everyday.

Harbor and I both enjoy veggies for breakfast in our eggs or on bread for lunch.

We have received around five care packages this summer, and Harbor always looks forward

to the little treats and trinkets he can unwrap.

We recently took him to Toys R Us and he chose the game Mousetrap.

Though he doesn't always want to play it by the rules, he enjoys making up little games on his own for trapping mice.

A few upcoming events weighing on my mind make winter seem much closer:

1. Harbor turns four this November. Moving 1,000 miles from friends and family means no more big birthday bashes, which makes me sad because there is nothing I love more than a big party. However, I love the challenge of making the day special and have a few ideas for Harbor's 4th.

2. I have decided on a theme for my Christmas cards. When I taught full time, I always made the bulk of them in the summer since I had the time off. That habit is still ingrained in me, for sure. I've not yet ordered paper, but I know the direction I am heading in.

3. I have been asked to lead the craft portion for our women at church in our MOPS program this Fall. I am really excited about the chance to meet other ladies and serve in some capacity.

4. David is as busy as ever with work and has only had three days off in the last three weeks. Harbor and I miss him, but do what we can to make his time at home easy and relaxing. As a treat to himself, David bought a Harley a few months back and has enjoyed riding it to work. When the weather gets bad, I know he will miss it. We enjoy hearing the rumble of pipes at the end of the day and rush to the window when he comes home to wave. : )

5. This school year marks the second year I have stepped out of teaching to stay home full time. I love being Harbor's "first" teacher and have no doubt I am doing what is right for our family, but this time of year makes me daydream. My very first group of students graduate from high school this year. I love knowing I was a part of their education.

6. With a new baby due in January, my mind can only conjure heavy Michigan snow and whirling winds.

Perhaps placing the rocking chair by a big window in the nursery to watch the snow fall in sheets is exactly what I need this winter so far from home.

I hope all is well with you!

Burlap Bunting

A big thank you to all for the kind words and thoughtful promises of prayer
for this pregnancy and our family.

As many of you now know, we miscarried identical twins at 11 weeks back in March, and it was a very difficult time for us. We were told we would more than likely need to undergo fertility treatments to conceive again as I was having a few problems, but praise the Lord, He had a better plan.

We are praying for a healthy happy baby come this January.

I am admittedly very behind on blogging and have hundreds of pictures to sort through, but sometimes taking a break and taking care of oneself does, and should, take priority. Pregnancy in my 20's versus my 30's  has been a different ballgame. But, at 15 weeks now, I feel more and more like my old self everyday.

Thanks again for those of you who still check in on us from time to time. : )

Today was a rainy day here in Detroit, so while Harbor occupied himself with blocks and dump trucks, I made a quick and easy burlap bunting.

I hung it upstairs at the top of our landing above a mirror that needed a little something extra.

 

Bulap is a really fun trend right now-

and for less than $3.00 a yard, you can really afford to create something fun!

: )