Life Lately....

I wanted to do a random life update post because I haven't just sat down to chat about what is going on in a while. It seems like the weeks and days are just flying by and I haven't talked about any of the smaller things that are going on. So here comes my jumbled mess of a post... :)

>>> Family. One of the biggest things that has been going on around here the past two months is about my sister and her family. Do you remember how I mentioned that my sister was visiting from California on Easter? Well, she has decided to stay! She has been here finding a job and starting to get settled since Easter. That means that I have really had a chance to get to know my niece and nephew. I have snuggled, hugged, and kissed them like crazy. I love having them closer and having the chance to watch them grow!

All five of them at their first cousin's sleepover.

>>> House Stuff. This a funny one to mention here because we really haven't done much with the house lately. If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I usually post about little updates to the house as we make them. I have a good list going of things we would like to do before the baby comes. We are hoping to get a big chunk of the work done in July and August before I hit the really exhausting last few months of pregnancy. Dan just mentioned last night that for being a painter himself, so much of the house still needs a good coat or two of paint before the summer is over (the deck, window trim, hallway, Logan's room, and more).

>>> Oh baby. I can't even believe that next week this pregnancy will be half over. I don't know about anyone else, but it seems to be flying by for me! We have a name picked out that Dan and I both love, but I wouldn't say it is a sure thing yet. Every couple days we will send each other a text with a new name that we hear and like. So far none of them have taken top place but we are going to keep thinking about it for a little longer.
Logan's excitement about this baby gets me even more excited than I was (if that is possible). He is always asking questions and talking about what he will teach the baby. He talks into my belly button like it is a microphone right to the baby. He will ask if the baby wants me to have an apple and will run to grab a snack for him. He is absolutely obsessed with looking at pictures of bunk beds for when the baby is old enough to sleep on a bunk bed with him. I know that there will be a huge learning curve, with some jealousy (something I worry about often as he has had me to himself for 3.5 years now) but I am so enjoying his excitement right now.
I have been washing and sorting all of the tiny clothes that Logan used as an infant (and a few new things too). It is so fun to see such tiny little outfits, blankets, and socks coming through the laundry again. I got a little emotional when I put them all into the washing machine, as there were so many days that I would find myself peeking into that box in the basement and dreaming about the day I would be able to use them for another baby.

>>> School. I have been thinking a lot about what we will do for school with Logan. I had always imagined homeschooling (at least for the younger years). We will probably still try doing that for a year and see how it goes. We do not feel that the public school in our town is the right option for us, and the private schools are a pretty good distance away (and often pretty expensive). So, I have been reading up on homeschooling, praying about it, talking to Dan, and my mom a bit (who did homeschooling with us in elementary school). We are still considering all of the options, but I am starting to read more about the first year of homeschooling in an effort to decide what will work out best. I think it is easy to feel like you might be making a mistake no matter which route you go, but I hope that when the time comes I will feel at peace with whatever we decide to do. If you have some experience with the first year or two of homeschooling and have any helpful hints or tips please send them my way!

>>> Meals. I have been on the hunt for easy meals that don't involve me cooking for an hour around 5-6 at night. Logan is in the weird transition stage where he still really needs a nap most days, but sometimes will keep himself awake and just take a shorter quiet time in his room instead. So since some nights are a little more challenging than others with him, I have been trying to find really simple 15-20 minute, or crock pot meals that we all love. I know that it will be useful when we add the new baby too. Dan loved this this one that I tried recently, though we both agree that we should add a little cayenne pepper for a kick next time. We also do tacos just about every week. Any other simple/ quick meal suggestions for us?

Okay, time to end this long and very wordy post with a random discovery I made the other day...
We don't usually let Logan use our camera, especially if we aren't right there to help him make sure he doesn't toss it like a baseball or anything. But yesterday when I went to load some pictures to the computer, I found some well-focused but very disturbing ones. At some point, he must have decided to have a photo session with his toy trains. These pictures are seriously creepy (as in it looks like the trains came alive and snatched my camera to take pictures of each other). Toys can be so sketchy with there sly grins, and shadowed faces.