Just Another Day In Paradise

An afternoon at the pond.

 

To begin our study on ponds, I wanted to take a little field trip over to a nice pond area that I knew about. I wanted to the kids to see exactly what constitued a pond....murky bottom, lots of vegetation, and lots of creatures. It didn't disappoint.

 

 

 

We came armed with nets, mason jars (with holes poked in the top), and ziploc bags. We forgot our portable microscope though!

 

 

We saw lots of minnows, some frogs, butterflies, water bugs, squirrels, deer tracks, armadillo tracks, wood bees, wasps, pretty flowers, towering oak trees, and even a snake!

 

Stitch and I spent a lot of time attempting to locate some tadpoles in the pond. My intent was to catch some, take them home, and let the kids see them grow into frogs. I read that tadpoles are supposed to hatch in the spring. Obvsiously, they hadn't hatched yet because we didn't come across a single tadpole. Hundreds of minnows and a few dozen frogs....but no tadpoles. So we struck out on that front.

 

 

 

However, we did manage to catch some minnows. And we caught a frog to observe in one of our mason jars, but we released him before we left. Boo carried this little guy around like he was her prized possession.

 

 

 

 

Though our tadpole search didn't work out, it was still fun to explore the pond area. While attemting to catch a large minnow, I ran across a snake, a few feet out from the edge of the pond.

 

 

Boo was amazed at all the butterflies, flittering from flower to flower in search of nectar, and tried her best to capture a photo of them with her iPod Touch...they were just too quick for her though.

 

 

Daddy even managed to catch carpenter bee! Though it was a bit difficult to observe through the net, and we weren't about to attempt to get that thing into a mason jar, it was still neat to see up close. That thing sure wasn't happy after we let it go.

 

 

I urged the kids to grab a ziploc bag and collect a few items to tape into their nature journals at home. And I also urged them to observe the pond setting so that they could sketch it one day this week during school. Boo had a great time collecting all the colorful flowers.

 

 

 

Thumper just enjoyed the ride on my back....fast asleep for most of our adventure.

 

 

And tomorrow we get to fill out our nature journals, observe some pond water under the  microscope, and learn about the life cycle of a frog!

 

Soaking up the Springtime.

 

Today was another perfect springtime day. We don't get too many of these down here in The Land of Scorching Temperatures, so I like to enjoy them when they are bestowed upon us. Usually our area bypasses anything even remotely resembling any type of springtime weather. We pretty much go straight from hot to hotter down here. That's why, on days like today when the sun is shining and the temperatures only reach into the 70's, I like to soak it up.

 

Upon waking this morning, I opened all the blinds in the house to allow the sun to stream in, opened the windows in the sunroom to catch the breeze, threw a picnic blanket onto the tile floor, and proceeded to declare a day of Sun Schooling. We did some grammar, ate some lunch, and read the Bible, all from the sunroom picnic blanket.

 

And this girl was looking all decked out for summer time, sporting her new sun hat and monster shoes.

 

 

 

This afternoon, Stitch had her second practice of the season. And if I do say so myself, my girl is looking pretty good out there! She took her first ever shot on goal today! Yes, it was only practice....and yes, it was stopped by the goalie....and I'm sure that no one else on the entire soccer field realized what a defining moment it was....but this mama did! My completely reserved little girl got control of the ball, dribbled it a few times, and then took her shot. I couldn't have been prouder. I can't wait to see what she will at her upcoming game.

 

Darn camera lens was acting up, but I just happened to be aiming at her when she took her first ever shot on goal!

 

 

And what a wonderful afternoon it was for a soccer practice.

 

The girls and I situated ourselves in the shade, stretched out on the picnic blanket on the sidelines of the soccer field.

 

Attack of the baby sister.

 

We watched sissy and silently encouraged her practice.

 

 

The playground was at our back, where Boo eventually meandered.

 

 

After practice ended, the rest of us were sure to follow. After all, there were swings.

 

And as you know, there's a brand new swing lover in our house.

 

 

**Okay, so I totally lied about putting up shots of the new vehicle today. I forgot to take them...but then I remembered as it was getting dark outside. I'll remember tomorrow!

Talking Tuesdays

 

Yesterday evening was our family debut of "Talking Tuesdays."

 

"What's that?", you might ask. Well, I created it as a way to (hopefully) keep communications open between my daughters and I as they grow older. Currently I'll just be doing it with Stitch, but as the other girls reach a specific age, I'll set aside talking time for them as well. Since Stitch is seven years old, I'm thinking of making seven the designated age to begin Talking Tuesdays with them too.

 

I figure that if I don't talk with them when they are young, then why would they talk to me when they are older? That's the time that I want them to talk to me. I want them to come to me with any problems, concerns, questions, and feelings that they may have when they hit the pre-teen and teenage years. I need that door to remain open to them.

 

 

This isn't to say that I don't talk to Stitch at other times. Sure, I talk to her. But sometimes when she's talking the baby is crying, or Boo is interrupting, or I'm trying to make dinner, or someone just cut me off in traffic. Sometimes I cannot give her my full, undivided attention. So I wanted to set aside a time that is focused soley on her.

 

Last night I began by reading a devotion to her from a book called God & Me! Devotions for Girls. These are very short, life application type devotions. They deal with things that kids will encounter on a daily basis, such as sharing, growing up, dealing with mean kids, lying, etc. They are only a few paragraphs long followed by a few questions. We did the devotion (last night's was about growing up) and chatted about the questions. It took all of 5 minutes. Then I explained to her why I was doing Talking Tuesdays with her. I told her that as she grows up, I want her to be able to talk to me about anything she needs to. I told her that our family does not keep secrets and if she has something to say, she's free to say it during Talking Tuesdays or any other time. I explained that I'm always free to listen to her. Of course, she counters this by asking "What if you are in the bathroom?"

 

 

But yeah, Stitch is definitely a talker(to those she knows extremely well). Some days I feel like my ear is going to fall off and I end up with my eyes glazing over, nodding, and saying "uh-huh" once in a while. Then she'll ask me a specific question and I'll have no idea what she's talking about LOL. So I felt like I needed a special time just for her. She loves to talk to me. She'll come up to me and say "Mommy, can we talk together?" Sometimes I can, other times I'm right in the middle of something.

 

One day we'll delve into deeper topics, but last night's conversation consisted of planning her birthday party (yes, it is still months away), reminiscing about favorite vacations that we've taken, and our upcoming Disney trip. As she grows, our topics will evolve and change, sometimes discussing more in-depth topics (sex anyone?) but often staying on lighter notes as well.

 

I just want to hear what she has to say....hear her opinion on things.....and discover her ideas. Cause you know what? She's a pretty interesting kid with a lot to say.

 

Value....A Date With Daddy

 

We had originally planned to set out and walk some nature trails this weekend, however, the kids are coming off of a cold and I didn't think it would be wise to have them out in this chilly weather. Yes, Florida is actually experiencing some chilly weather at the moment!

 

Instead, I urged Mr Incredible (because come on, we all know that sometimes guys just need some prodding) to take the big girls out on a date. Usually, we do our dates one-on-one, but since both girls had mentioned wanting to see Beauty and The Beast in the theater, it only made sense to bring them both together. Upon asking them, Boo exclaimed that she didn't want to wear the 3D glasses. I can totally commiserate with that. When you already wear glasses on your face, it's a pain to sit 3D glasses on top of them. But then it seemed pointless to take the girls to the theater to see the 2D version since we own it right here at home.

 

So Mr Incredible took the girls to the store and let them choose a special treat. Then they came back home, we had a bite of lunch, and the girls settled down on the couch with Daddy for their very own in-home viewing of Beauty and The Beast.

 

Value time with Daddy. It fits right into our theme for the year. Value is so much more than money. It is so much more than tangible items. It is so much more than a toy that will be tossed aside in a week's time. We are rediscovering value in carving out family time and making memories.

 

 

And seriously....I'm not sure that he let her pick out a big enough candy bar. What do you think?

 

I know that in a previous post, I mentioned that we will be purchasing less toys, less unnecessary items, and less unneeded clothing and household items in order to focus on the true meaning of value. But I have been willing to drop a bit of money within the last week on the newest craze hitting the nation.....Skylanders. It's a new video game consisting of small figures that you must purchase in order to play them in the game. Stitch fell head over heels for this game. And I look at it this way....it's a common bond. We can sit down as a family and play this game. Mr Incredible is much more willing to play this game with her rather than make My Little Ponies walk around and talk. We find ourselves discussing the characters, which ones we need, which levels they are at, and whether or not we found the hidden treasures in each world. It's a way to connect....and honestly, that fits right into my value theme for the year. I don't mind spending money on some things that will build a common bond. Now, if you know me then you know that I'm not one who allows a lot of screen time for my kids. Actually, for myself either. But my kids are not "screen time addicts" so I don't have a problem with a little more screen time during the rare occurances that they find a game that captures their attention. There are many other days where they have absolutely no screen time, by their own choice.

 

All in all, our new theme for the year seems to be working out pretty well so far. We are cleaning out the playroom so that we can sell toys. That's one area where I can give my kids some credit....they don't mind cleaning out and giving away their toys. They don't form attachments to them. If they don't use a toy, they are not afraid to give it away. In fact, sometimes I'm the one saying "Hey! You can't get rid of that!" LOL

 

Shining Lights.

 

When I was a kid, one evening around Christmas time, my parents would meet up with some friends and pile all the kids in the trunk of the car and we'd take off around town looking at Christmas lights. They made goodie bags for the kids, there was lots of laughing and caroling, and they made sure to stop for a special treat at some point along the way. We'd hit all the big displays and admire the array of twinkling lights. I remember those evenings well....it was one of those times that will always stick with me.

 

I love to recreate my childhood memories for my own children.

 

And so tonight, we loaded into the car, all squeaky clean and jammied up and drove around town searching out spectacular light displays. We sang Christmas carols, the girls colored by the soft glow of their book lights, and we oooh'ed and aaah'ed each time we saw something spectacular.

 

 

One neighborhood was filled with luminaries. There's something magical about driving down candle lit streets with Christmas glimmering on the horizon, a mere week way.

 

 

 

And to top off the night, ice cream sundaes and Blizzards did just the trick.

 

 

 

As we sat by the window, chatting and enjoying our ice cream, a small parade of emergency vehicles all decked out in Christmas light and carrying Santa Claus made its way past us. We were in the right place at just the right time.

 

 

 

 

 

Now two little girls are tucked snugly into bed and one is nestled comfortably in my arms as I type. I'm sure that their anticipation is growing as Christmas creeps closer and closer each day. Eight more days!

 

Christmas Crafting Extravaganza

 

Yesterday the kids woke bright and early in excitement to begin our day. They knew that the Christmas spirit would be bursting at the seams today and they couldn't wait to get it started.

 

My two oldest kids *love* Christmas. I mean, seriously love it. Did you see the two little girls skipping through the aisles of Wal-Mart, holding hands, twirling, and belting out "Fa la la la la, la la la la"? Yeah, those were mine. They were met with lots of sweet, knowing smiles and were even offered a job by the Salvation Army bell ringer. They are totally and completely wrapped up in Christmas this year. And I love that.

 

I love that they dash out of bed each morning wondering what Hermie did the night before. I love how they wear reindeer antlers like nobody's business. And I love how they speak of baby Jesus like he was born yesterday. I seriously love it. I don't know what I'll do as they grow older and the magic fades away. I love being the mother of small children. I'm good at it. I enjoy it. I wonder if I'll be as good of a mother to teenagers. But for now, I'm reveling in the joy of mothering little ones. These are the days I'll remember for a lifetime.

 

 

And so, as the girls snuggled around me in bed yesterday morning, they asked again for me to tell them our plans for the day. Once again, I told two eager little girls about opening a stocking gift, searching out Hermie to see what he'd done, putting a new sticker onto our nativity advent calendar, discovering the new book that Hermie had left us, decorating (and eating) Christmas cookies, and making crafts until their hearts were content. Two smiling faces beamed back at me as they jumped out of bed, searching out one mischievous little elf. Little did they know, on top of all the current Christmas fun, we'd have another little Christmas adventure that evening, thanks to Aunt Kim and (soon to be uncle) David.

 

After a quick morning routine, Craft Day Extravaganza was in full swing. Pinterest was my best friend when searching out interesting crafts for the girls to do.

 

Among other things, we made waterless snow globes....

 

 

Made paper snow globes.....

 

 

Created crowns to represent Jesus, the King of Kings.....

 

 

 

Decorated a reindeer.....

 

 

Made a mosaic, created the star of Bethlehem, complete with baby Jesus in swaddling clothes, put together a "Merry Grinchmas" banner.....

 

And decorated delicious sugar cookies.

 

 

 

The clean up was....well.....rather involved.

 

 

 

 

But it was SO worth it.

 

 

Just before our crafting began, I received a call from Aunt Kim, informing me of a Christmas event at her fiance's work that evening. I figured it would be a perfect way to wrap up our Christmas Crafting Day. And so, as our creative juices began to run dry, I packed up the kids and we drove out to the Christmas event at the community center. There was a hayride (no photos since I stayed back and fed Thumper while Aunt Kim and David took the kids on the hayride....let's just say there was a LOT of cedar in that trailer and quite a bit came home with us), more crafts, a visit from Santa, and cookies with hot chocolate. The kids had a lot of fun. The perfect ending to the day.

 

 

 

And thank goodness we didn't have to brave the mall for the annual Santa Claus photo. I have a framed photo of each of my girls with Santa Claus on their very first Christmas. I pull them out each December. Thumper is no exception....this is her year.

 

 

 

I love that photo of my three girls with the big man himself. Santa was pretty authentic looking! Much better than some of the scary looking Santa's that I've witnessed over the years.

 

And of course, I can't forget to post about Hermie's most recent mischief.

 

Making some sort of nasty looking concoction. All I know is that it involved apple slices, Doritos, Skittles, ranch dressing, bread, chocolate chips, and cheese. ::::gag::::

From what we gather, Hermie must have fallen off the step ladder while trying to climb the Christmas tree. The girls were *very* concerned that there was real blood soaking through the towel.

 

I was very unhappy with Hermie on this particular day. He got into Stitch's school books and did some of her work. Stitch, on the other hand, was very pleased with him.

 

Stitch drew Hermie a picture and wrapped it up. She left it on the table and wondered whether he would open it. This morning she found him holding her drawing and he'd left the girls a few drawings of his own.

 

Merry Christmas everyone! Make the most of the next week before Christmas! We sure will!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It happens in a blink.

 

I recently heard a song on the radio by the Christian group Revive. I had honestly never heard of this group before that very moment, but the lyrics to their song "Blink" really made me stop and think.

 

It was one of those moments where you are driving down the road, traffic all around, kids chattering away in the back seat.....when suddenly, this song comes on the radio and the lyrics seem like they were written just for you. Time stands still. Everything else seems to fade away and God meets you right there, in that very moment.

 

I'm not sure exactly what the artist meant to convey with these lyrics, but they can be taken many different ways. For me, I was hit with the realization that our children grow up so quickly. It happens in a blink. They grow up in a flash. My oldest is seven. I mean, really? Has it really been seven years since I first held her in my arms? Seven years since she was wearing newborn sized onesies? My middle child is four....losing that toddler look and growing into a little girl more and more each day. And my newborn is already 5 weeks old. It seems like just yesterday that I was rushing to the hospital in the middle of the night, my water broken only moments before. It's absolutely crazy how quickly time flies by.

 

 

 The chorus of the song goes like this...

 

It happens in a blink

It happens in a flash

It happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life?

 

And so I stop to wonder.....what have I done with my life? What have I done in the lives of my children? Have I spoken the name of Jesus enough times to my kids? Have I hugged them more than I've corrected them? Have I told them that they mean the world to me? Have I made enough memories? Will they look back on their childhoods and remember the fun times? Will they say that I was a good mother?

 

 

Sometimes, especially lately, I feel like I'm just running through life. With having a new baby, everything feels like it's moving on fast forward. There's never enough time or enough hands. I have an entire mental lists of "must-do's" each day. Nurse the baby, change the baby, give the spelling test, wash the dishes, dust the shelves, sweep the floors, fix the lunch, help with the math, feed the dogs...the list is never ending. But then I think of a verse in this song....

 

Slow down

Slow down

Before today becomes our yesterday.

 

Every today becomes our yesterday. How many times do we look back and want to redo our yesterdays? I don't want my children's todays to become yesterdays without filling them with as many happy memories as possible. I don't want any regrets. Maybe the dishes can fill the sink for just a short time. Maybe it's okay for the shelf to have a slight layer of dust. Maybe it's okay that our days are full....because then, our hearts will be too.

 

 

In thirty years, when I look back, will I remember how spotless my floor looked? Or how we finished every subject of school every day? No, I'll remember the sounds of my children's belly laughs echoing in the walls of my mind. I'll remember their delight as I pushed them on the swings until my arms hurt. I'll remember how safe and secure my 4 year old felt because I gave in and let her fall asleep beside me on the couch for "just one more night." I'll remember how soft my newborn's skin felt as I rocked her at night, the dark room lit only by the soft glow of the night light. I'll remember listening.....really stopping and listening....as my 7 year old chatteres away about a myriad of different topics. Even if I'm not fully interested, she'll know that I listened.

 

 

I just want to look them in the eyes when they are adults and know that I've done right. I want to know that I've told them enough about Jesus, taught them enough, prepared them enough, preserved their innocence enough, and loved them enough. I want to know that I've spent enough time with them. Not by just being with them, but by really interacting with them, listening to them, asking them questions, and making new memories. I don't want them to grow up in a blink, but that's what happens. Time halts for no one.

 

So make the most of your blink. I have 3 little ones counting on ours.

 

The longest week of my life.

 

Remember my post from Monday? The one where Stitch woke up with a croupy sounding cough? Well....it didn't stop there. I believe the very last line of that post was "I'm praying for a better Tuesday." I guess God saw fit for it to be otherwise, because Tuesday was definitely not any better than Monday. Neither was Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, nor today.

 

It seems there is an epidemic here in the Incredible household. I'm waiting for government officials to show up at my door wearing those Hazmat suits, slap a "condemned" sign on the window, and quarantine the entire house. Yeah, it's been one of those weeks.

 

As I said in my previous post, The Epidemic got hold of Stitch on Sunday evening (not this past Sunday but the one before....9 days ago). Today, on Tuesday, she's still not over it. Mid-week, it got both Boo and I, with Baby C contracting the lite version of The Epidemic (thank you, Lord) around the same time.

 

The Epidemic consists of fever, lots of congestion, aches, and a hacking cough. Stitch ended up with a nose bleed a few nights ago, due to the congestion in her nose, and she awoke around midnight crying with ear pain. Her fever went away for an entire day and then reared its ugly head again.

 

Since Baby C had a (late) 2 week well visit scheduled for today, I decided to load up all three kids and just get it over and done with. Stitch had already been to the doctor twice.....once, when we thought it was croup, and then to the Minute Clinic on the weekend after she woke with ear pain.(Don't get me started on why to avoid the Minute Clinic from now on.) Baby C had been once, on Friday, after a day of being congested and gagging. Boo is the only one who had yet to step foot into a doctor's office for this illness (well, except for me). With the help of my mom and sister, we set off to see the doctor.

 

Good news: Baby C is gaining weight, growing well, and starting to attempt to hold her head up. Plus, she's still cute as can be. Her congestion is a lot better too.

 

Bad news: Both big girls have ear infections, Stitch's is much worse than Boo's at the moment. Rounds of amoxicillan for both of them.

 

I've been pretty MIA on my blog this past week, so now you know why. In between nursing sessions for Baby C, I've been doling out medicine, rubbing Vicks on little feet, and resting as much as possible so that I can get over this awful bug as well.

 

I feel like I'm on the mend, but this sore throat and congestion is really hanging on. Not to mention, the lymph nodes on my neck are sore to the touch. I'm hoping this will all clear out within the next few days. At least we're not contagious anymore so I don't feel like I have to guard the baby from all potential germ infestation moments. I didn't allow Stitch and Boo to hold her or touch her for a week....I think they were going through withdrawals. They looked so sad and forlorn when they would ask to hold her and I'd have to tell them no. I felt so bad!

 

I seriously feel like this has been the longest week of my life. Add in what a pain our two dogs have been lately and we had a recipe for disaster. I'm glad it seems to be on the upswing!

 

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In other news...sort of belated news.....Baby C's cord fell off at only 6 days old and she was able to have her very first bath a few days after that. Stitch and Boo were very excited to help with!

 

I'll leave you with a few pics of a babe that you just can't help but want to snuggle.

 

 

 

 

 

Milestones and Dates

 

Yesterday our babe hit an exciting milestone....she had her very first trip to Wal-Mart. Somehow or another, each week I seem to find myself at Wal-Mart more times than I'd like. Either we're out of shampoo, missing a key ingredient for that evening's dinner, needing a last minute crafting item for a school project, or completely out of any breakfast items for the next morning. Either way, Wal-Mart is usually the place that we head (for non-organic items) because it's the closest and the cheapest.

 

And yesterday our new little girl graced the aisles of Wal-Mart with her presence for the very first (of many, I'm sure) times. It was just a routine trip...partly for Mommy to get out of the house, but partly to pick up a few needed items. Baby girl slept throughout the aisles, not making a peep nor waking up even once.

 

 

Ever since Baby C has been born (who, by the way, really needs a blog nickname), Mr. Incredible has been off of work. Thankfully, he has the luxury of being off of work for two full weeks this time around. It's been a big help having him here. This week, he has used two days to go on separate dates with each of our older girls. They really look forward to this time with him. On Tuesday, it was Boo's turn to head out and about with her Daddy. She chose to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse (she loves sharing a juicy steak with Daddy), read books together at Books-A-Million, and stop for a treat at Dunkin Donuts. Today was Stitch's turn. She chose to eat pizza together at Chicago Pizza, go to Dave & Busters for arcade games and prizes, and hit Dairy Queen for ice cream on the way home. While each girl was out with Mr. Incredible, I spent time with the other girl at home. They each chose games for the two of us to play and books for us to read. It's nice to have one-on-one time with each child without the other competing for attention (well, I still had one competing for attention, but she was easy to please with a little milk).

 

 

 

 All in all, things are going pretty well here in the Incredible household, adjusting to three kids and such. Baby C is sleeping fairly well at night. I've had a few nights of her being wide awake for a few hours in the dark of night, but for the most part she's sleeping well. She's pretty much hating her pacifier (unlike our oldest, who loved it). I tried giving her the Nuk brand, which I prefer, but like Boo, she seems to prefer the Soothie brand. I despise the Soothie brand. If you drop it in the store, it rolls. Under shelves. Where you cannot reach it. Again, I really despise the Soothie brand. But hey, whatever works. I'll continue to attempt the Nuk with her, but fall back on the Soothie if needed. Yes, I know that some parents prefer not to use pacifiers at all, but I'm definitely not one of those parents. I'm all for the pacifier. When small children need a comfort item, I've found that pacifiers work great. Well, at least they did for Stitch. Boo didn't really like pacifiers and only took the Soothie brand intermittenly for about 7 months, when she promptly forgot about it and never looked back. I'm hoping this kiddo will take to a pacifier of some sort, at least for a while.

 

Tomorrow I'm going to hit Hobby Lobby after visiting the local Women & Children's Center for a little nursing help. I'm not sure that Baby C has the best latch when it comes to nursing....she makes a loud clicking sound each time and I just want them to check it out and see if they have any advice. So hopefully we can readjust her latch if need be.

 

That's all for now....goodnight!

 

Happenings.

 

What's been going on with our family lately?

 

 

We've been enjoying our annual tradition of scouring patches, looking for the very best pumpkins. (And using the opportunity for a fall photo op).

 

 

 

Seriously, when did they get to be so big???

 

 

 

And along with choosing a pumpkin, our tradition includes painting them as well. Painting is much easier than little hands wanting to handle sharp objects and attempting to carve a pumpkin. Although, I *am* going to attempt that for the first time this year as well. They can dig the goop out and I'll do the cutting. That will have to wait until a bit closer to Halloween though so it doesn't begin to rot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We've been making Mystery Boxes, attempting to make writing more fun (thanks again to Pinterest for the idea). I hide an object in the box, allow her to shake it and smell it, give her clues (which she copies onto a piece of paper), and then she makes an educated guess and draws what she thinks may be inside the box. And then we open it!

 

 

 

 

This has been a bit hit for the past two weeks! Even Boo loves to participate...without the writing portion. You can find your own copy of the mystery box download right HERE (I'm not affiliated with this in any way, it's just where I purchased it).

 

We've been going to doctor visits....lots of them. I go twice a week, once to my regular OB and then once to the specialist for an ultrasound and NST (non-stress test for baby). Baby looks good! She's estimated to about 7 pounds, 6 ounces right now. That's not bad....last time they estimated the weight was at 35 weeks and they really freaked me out with her weight estimate to be 6 pounds, 11 ounces with 5 weeks to go. I do know that these late term ultrasound estimates tend to be very unreliable though. I guess we'll find out her real weight very soon!

 

We've been making Disney plans and reservations for February.

 

We (I) have been just about ready to put our two dogs up for adoption if they get into the bathroom trash one more time. A certain two little girls forget to close the bathroom door every so often. Maybe now that I'm making them clean up the mess, they won't forget so easily.

 

We've been continuing to study space, which the girls are really enjoying. It took ditching two other science curricula already this school year, but I'm glad we finally went with Apologia Astronomy. Tonight, as we were leaving my parents house, the moon was nearly full in the sky. Beside it, one lone light was shining brightly. At first I thought it was Venus and told this to the kids, but upon further research, it proved to be Jupiter. I'll have to let them know in the morning, as they are already asleep for the night. I snapped this pic, but it only proves that my lens is certainly not meant for photographing the night sky. Jupiter looked much brighter with my own eyes.

 

 

And speaking of the patch mentioned earlier in this post, we've been doing other types of patching as well. I think that I failed to mention it, but Boo has to be patched again. We had hoped that her patching days were over, but about two months ago I began to notice her left eye wandering again. It was only occasionally, and probably not noticeable to anyone but me, but I knew I'd better get it checked out. Sure enough, after a few months of being patch-free, her eye muscles are still not strong enough to keep her eye from wandering. So we're back to patching. Only once or twice a week....kind of like "maintenance patching", as the opthamologist called it, but patching nonetheless.

 

And we've all been wondering when Baby C will decide to make her grand entrance into this world. We're down to single digits! Every little twinge has me on my toes!

 

That's what been happening in the Incredible Household!