January

We started off the month and the new year by burning the slips of paper written with what we wanted to let go of from 2017.  It was freezing cold and Will couldn't get the paper to ignite in my honey bee smoker, and by the time the slips of paper started on fire, only Will and I were still outside.  Ah well, the important thing is that we let the bad stuff go!  New Year's Day was so cold that the food-coloring filled water balloons we had put out on our porch the night before were frozen solid and ready to be unwrapped.  Violet was the only one brave enough to handle the cold while Will unwrapped the frozen ice gems.

A co-worker of Will's had given him a gingerbread village kit for Christmas, so we spent a cold afternoon cozy inside, making the gingerbread village.  Kits like that are such a gift to parents - everything we possibly needed to make a yummy and memorable gingerbread village was in that box!

Will had a full two weeks off for the holidays, and even after New Year's was over, he still had almost half of his break still left.  We spent time with family... my sister was in town still, we exchanged gifts and shared in memory making with my cousin and her beautiful family, and we had a nice and relaxing game day with Will's family.

Emma lost both of her top front teeth after Christmas, which was delayed timing as we were hoping we could sing "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" but Emma is so traumatized about losing teeth, she held on to them for as long as possible.  See center picture below, of her tooth coming out in the first bite she took of a zucchini muffin.  She didn't want me to take a picture at the time, as she was so upset but she agrees now that it is a good picture to go along with a good story.  She likes to say the punch line, "That's not a macadamia nut!" as she shows her listeners the picture of the muffin on my phone.

More milestones this past month were Lucy and Emma completed their swimming lessons and can now successfully swim the length of the pool and back, and also do not want to pursue any sort of career or hobby in swimming.  They are happy to be done!  I found it ironic that although they have overcome their fear of water enough to swim the length of the pool and back, it is still torture for them to have the shampoo washed out of their hair.  I would have given the swim school a higher rating if they had helped with that milestone!  And Violet, pictured above, is proud of how well she has come along in her cutting skills, and is happily displaying a necklace she cut out all by herself.

When Will went back to work it was back to the school routine for the rest of us too.  I tried getting us all outside every day, even if it was for only twenty minutes.  I watched the weather on my iPhone to time our outside excursion with the warmest and on the rare occasion that there was sun that day, sunniest part of the day.  Here is Charlie below, enjoying time with us in the top picture and in the bottom picture, snuggled in his nest in our garage for the night.

Fortunately, the kids are pretty self-sufficient now when it comes to getting dressed to go outside.  Depending on Violet's mood, sometimes she can get herself outside with hat, gloves, snow pants, scarf, coat and boots all by herself, and other times she pretends helplessness and insists on me helping her.  

In the bottom, right hand picture below, Violet is bringing me a chair into the sunlight so that I can sit and watch them play.  I mostly have been reading a book while they play, huddled in my winter coat, as I am afraid to slip on any ice or snow.  I do not want Opal coming any earlier than the month she is due!

There was one or two days this past month (see above picture) where the weather hit above 50 and the kids played outside for several hours while I enjoyed the sunshine and a book.  Most of the month though involved our short daily time outside, and lots of more time spent inside.  Here the girls are below enjoying hot chocolate (Emma and Violet) and tea (Lucy), doing crafts, playing with their Calico Critters, building Duplos and riding on their bouncey balls around our first floor.

Violet for the most part finds ways to amuse herself while Lucy, Emma and I work on school during the week and here Violet is below doing yoga, playing with her baby dolls, setting up books for me to read to her when I am done working with Lucy and Emma, reading her own books, and building towers.  She really has grown so independent this past year, and as long as we stick to our routine, she does great being patient for mama time.

She has an interesting relationship with Will - heaven forbid Will come between her and I, but she does enjoy being silly with him.  Here she is below giving Will a face massage with her feet, cuddling Will before bed, and offering him a Play Doh creation.

 Yes, Violet is still a mama's girl and it will be interesting to see what happens when Opal is here.  Transitioning the relationship of my youngest child to adjusting to a new baby and not being the youngest anymore always pulls on my heartstrings.  The first time they hear me refer to their new sibling as "my baby" always fills me with guilt and shocks them.  I know it all works out eventually, but it really is a special time being the youngest and having that special place in my arms.  It is a transition for me too and one that Violet and I will both grieve for a time and then adjust.  Here we are below, preparing for Opal - the girls being so good at a routine doctor appointment for me and Opal, Violet and Emma in the shopping cart at Target as I pile in what can only be described as nesting supplies - new sheets, pillows, cleaning supplies, and random organizing tools.  Will pointed out that when we put all of the items on the belt at the cash register that it looked like we had just moved into our first apartment.  Will is doing his own nesting though, and decided to cut a hole in the wall of our closet to make more storage space.

I have been feeling pretty good, although I will admit at this point that I am getting tired of my limited food choices.  The girls have been great helping around the house though, and there was even that one time that I laid down on the couch to rest while they played with Play Doh and brought me all of my favorite foods made out of Play Doh that I used to eat before I was pregnant and then CLEANED UP THE PLAY DOH ALL BY THEMSELVES.  Play Doh is one of those things where they are content to play for a long time, but it takes just as long for me to clean it all up.  There is no free ride.  But this one time, I was given a free ride.  I hope this means that life as a mom is only getting better from here!

We spent time with friends this past month from tea parties, to all day play dates and even a winter festival where there was no snow but still lots of fun.

 Our church held a family volunteer afternoon, and we happily participated by writing cards, decorating them with stickers and packing up care kits complete with hand warmers and lip balms for those less fortunate than us.

 We took a day off of school, and Will took a morning off of work and we enjoyed the play Mr. Popper's Penguins at the local Community College.  It was extremely well done, and we all enjoyed it.  Especially since we had just finished rereading Mr. Popper's Penguins the night before!  We also strolled our downtown and enjoyed looking at the game-themed ice sculptures during our town's winter fest this past month.

 Our chickens are laying eggs in full force, and it's nice to see the beautiful colors and variations and to crack those eggs and see the fresh, vibrant and healthy yokes.  There really is no comparison.  Violet has loved being my little helper this past month, and has helped with cooking, cleaning and even mailing out items for Harding Honey.  Will also made a giant batch of meatballs for the freezer as they make for an quick and easy week night meal where I can just boil some pasta, open a jar of marinara sauce, and plop in a handful of our homemade frozen meatballs.

As much as I feel exhausted and am wondering where I will find the oomph to care for a newborn again, I do think that my three older girls will continue to surprise me with their capabilities, and their excitement for their baby sister.  We are approaching Luke's tenth birthday now, and I am starting to feel the need to hibernate and spend some quiet time in the remembering.  It is interesting timing, what with Opal kicking around inside of me as I remember my last days with Luke kicking around inside of me.  Also interesting to note is that this past month marked the 10th anniversary of me writing this blog, and soon we will be doing our best to celebrate earth-side the 10th birthday of our firstborn in heaven.  What a journey it has been, and although I would have picked a different path, I can't help but feel so grateful for the life I have, and the people I get to share it with.