Cannot Get Enough Color

This girl of mine... she LOVES to draw/color... and it literally happened overnight. I've always hoped she'd have an interest in creating... leaving jars of crayons and papers around the house at her disposal... but she never really "got into it"... until a few weeks ago. A few weeks ago, something turned on inside of her, and all of those coloring books that we've picked up along the way, or that have been gifted to her over the last 3 (almost) years of having her, have been completely filled with beautiful color! In the last few weeks, she's gone through about 8 coloring books, and 3 blank paged books... she cannot get enough color.

I've always given her free reign over her creative side... and that's been my favorite part about homeschooling. So, although this isn't a "School Sessions" post and update on homeschooling, it definitely is going to be my update for this week. I've read it (in countless articles) and have witnessed it (when I sat and observed Kindergarten when Charlotte was in school)... kids no longer are given enough time to create and imagine and have time to be kids. In Charlotte's old Kindergarten class, then went from one thing to the next, always sitting down, and were only given 30 minutes of recess time. School started at 8:30 in the morning, and ended around 3:00... she'd come home and have homework (because she couldn't concentrate at finishing the work in school). By the time the school work was done, it was time for dinner and bath, and then bed... leaving absolutely NO time to just "be a kid". Now, I have our homeschooling scheduled in such a way, that we are done most days by 11 the latest, and then she has the WHOLE afternoon to play, go on an afternoon outing with friends, color/draw, etc... to just be a kid. I LOVE that we have this flexibility. She builds tents/forts for her dolls, plays "shows/performances" with her dolls, reads her favorite books, etc. I love seeing her have this time to spend however (most of the time) she wants to. My favorite days though, are the ones where she spends countless hours coloring, because she just... cannot get enough color.

and... She's Off!

And... she's off... yesterday marked the first day (hello Earth Day celebration) that Marley took off on her own, without our help/encouragement... and she LOVED the independence that this brought along.

Dig Your Toes Into The Grass

The best way to spend Earth Day, is outside in the fresh air... playing... add some cupcakes (that might have been squished in the car because of a wrong turn...) and it turns into the perfect way to spend Earth Day. Hoping everyone was able to dig their toes into the grass/dirt at least at one point today... because it seriously is the best.

23 weeks { bumpdate }

Well, I've made it yet another pregnancy, to 23 weeks... and I couldn't be more blessed. I haven't done too much writing about this pregnancy. I think the shock of it, is still there... and at times, I'm still in denial that I'm having another so close to the other. If all goes well, they'll be 13 months apart... but not just that, we have our 3 year Gotcha Day with Charlotte in June. That means, I'll have stepped into motherhood for 3 children, all within 3 years... still in complete disbelief. WHO does that? Most of the time, I feel blessed... and other moments, I'm terribly frightened. But I know this little man, was meant to be... and we're celebrating this pregnancy as best as we can!

So far, this pregnancy has been fairly similar to the one that I had with Marley, in terms of overall tiredness, and sickness (although the morning sickness ended a bit sooner with this little guy, than it did with Marley). I'm definitely carrying a lot lower with him... which is putting a lot more pressure on my hips... so I'm more sore in my lower half... He kicks, and I've felt some pretty strong movements... but overall he's a little more shy with his movements, than his sister was. Could be just his positioning (which like I said, is lower) or could be he'll be a chill baby... I'd like to think both are great justifications.

I've secretly name this little man, "little bug" already... I have no idea why, but it's what comes out, whenever he and I "chat". I imagine he'll bring a whole different element to this overabundant estrogen filled family! I grew up with a younger brother, and an older sister, so I think he's the luckiest...

I haven't gained much weight in this pregnancy, yet. I'm trying to keep it minimal, being that I haven't lost much weight at all since Marley. They've been doing lots of testing on my thyroid, and will continue to. With the numbers they're seeing, they're thinking that post partum I was a "subclinical hypothyroidism" patient...very lethargic, harder to lose weight, and possibly the reason for my low milk supply. Depending on how my next blood draw goes (at the beginning of my 3rd trimester), they'll either medicate me or not. I'm pretty content that they're keeping a close eye on it this time.

I've been seeing the same midwife, Dusti... who delivered Marley. She was absolutely thrilled to see us back in the office, when we had our very first appointment. The running joke is, " I missed you so much, that I HAD to get pregnant in order to see you again..." There is not one person I'd rather have deliver this "little bug" than her.

Cravings: Anything full of ice... fruit, and hotdogs (just like with Marley)

Turnoffs: Most days, I still can't do coffee... it's such a sad, sad thing.

Daddy's thoughts on the pregnancy thus far: I'm fairly certain he's still in shock that "little bug" is a boy... but he'll get over it as soon as he comes out.

Charlotte's thoughts on the pregnancy thus far: "I just want him to come out, so we can have 2 babies in the house."

Marley's thoughts on the pregnancy thus far: She's silent on the matter... pretty sure that's because she doesn't talk much... but she pets my belly ALL the time.

HE arose

"HE arose... HE arose... Hallelujah, Christ arose..." It was the smallest, quietest little Easter celebration... but the sweetest.

Dear Marley Wren { 9 months }

Dear Marley...

We only have a 1/4 of the year left, before we hit your big 1st birthday... wow. You are a growing champ... there's really not much to say, except that you're getting so big, and so tough...

This month your little bottom teeth FINALLY broke through the gums. Man, those were some tough days, even Tylenol and Motrin weren't able to work (let alone Hylands teething tablets and your amber necklace)... you just needed to work those little guys out, and pop, out they came. Your favorite thing to do, was suck and gnaw on a slice of apple. Oh you could sit there for days, as long as a slice of apple was in your hand. This month, you also started to get up on your knees, ready to crawl. You're not quite there yet, but you've definitely mastered the "butt scoot". One minute you're in one place, we turn around, and the next minute your a couple feet from where you started. We are having to keep a very close eye on you... but we love this new found independence.

You play so perfectly with Charlotte.. you two are a great sister match. She's definitely showing you "the way", and has so much grace when you chew on all her little dolls/toys, and fly them across the room. We think you're definitely teaching her a whole new way with the word "patience". But you adore her, and she loves you... and that's all we could ask for. I mean, just look at the way you smile at her when I'm trying to get your attention with the camera:

You love most fruits and veggies, but strangely, you've started to have a distaste for avocados. You start gagging everytime a piece of one is in your mouth, so I think, right now, it's not your thing. We also introduced you to quinoa and meat, and it ended the same way that the avocado did.... so right now, we're sticking to what you like. You could eat a whole banana by yourself in a sitting if we let you. You love being able to feed yourself... so we're starting to give you simple fruits and cooked veggies that way. You're a snacker... so lots and lots of little meals throughout the day.

Sweet girl, in just a few months, you won't be the "baby" anymore... your little brother will be here... so we're taking all the time we have, now, to breathe in this stage... we will not miss one moment, nor are we taking this time with you for granted. Keep being Marley... the one we continue to love on more and more each and everyday. 

We love you,

Daddy, Mommy, Charlotte and baby brother

Pinwheel IG Sale

Tomorrow, I'll be having a quick IG sale at 11 am CST... you can find details on my latest picture here. There's a giveaway attached to that photo, so be sure to enter!

I just adored sewing with the Sweet As Honey fabric line so much, that I picked some extra up to sew up a bunch of lovelies. I wanted to try the fabric on not just my latest creation of the pinwheel, but I wanted to create mini 2" pinwheels that rest on bamboo skewers, to be used as cake toppers. If they do well at this instasale, then they will be added to the shop in a week or so. They are TOO cute, and would make cupcakes/cakes absolutely adorable... especially for this Spring/Summer season.

Part Of The Story

Yesterday, I shared a little progress photo on how the office is starting to shape up... I think it's time for me to lock myself in this room, and force myself to organize... that's the TOUGHEST part... I do need to find fun ways to organize... perhaps this upcoming weekend. However, this past Saturday, we spent a little time as a family doing a quick drive to Jones, Oklahoma to visit our local saw mill.

Many months ago my hubby picked up barn wood from a friend's barn that he was tearing down. When I say picked up, he really helped de-construct so that he could pick out the best beams of wood that he could find. Originally this was to be used as a desk... but in the end, we decided to keep the wood for the shelves that would be going in this room. The wood needed a lot more work than my hubby was ready for (tool wise), so we brought it over to a local saw mill... who is now in possession of our barn wood and cleaning it up for us. Once we get it back (hopefully around Wednesday or so), we will cover it with a stained wax, and stick it up on those metal pipes that you saw hanging above the desk. It'll be a pretty industrial look, with some raw elements... totally what we were going for in this room. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Back to the saw mill... SO FUN. I didn't know how it was going to be... but really, it's a crafter's little haven with all the wood that you can buy for projects... the smell was unreal (like the freshest saw dust) and it was nestled in this little tree grove area. It was such a fun outing, and it'll be neat to look back knowing that this saw mill is now a part of the story of the office.