Third Trimester, What?!

In some ways, I cannot believe I'm this far along.  Twenty-eight weeks, seven months, third trimester.  Crazy.  In other ways, I can't believe this is as far along as I am.  I mean, surely I should be near the end, right?  This pregnancy has been much like raising children in general: the days fly by, but the moment to moment can feel like an eternity.  And, as with the challenges of raising children, it's all totally worth it.

As the fourth of five children, born less than five years after the first, there are about three pictures of me in my baby book.  I always instinctively understood that my mom was doing the best she could.  I'm hoping Susanna Clair will have as much grace for me, just trusting that we absolutely adore her already and truly can't wait for her to help our family be complete, even though I have had little to nothing to say on here lately.  Darling, you are our never ending topic of conversation around here.  I promise.

I really would like to have a picture of me where I don't look A. Huge and B. Exhausted.

However, I am huge and exhausted, so what's a gal to do?

Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye by Len Bailey

There are some characters, ideas, time periods, life styles that so fascinate that they find their way into countless fiction and non-fiction works.  Sherlock Holmes is one of these.  I have seen several series with him as the hero, including one of my favorite series ever, the Mary Russell series by Laurie King.  So, when I saw Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye by Len Bailey in my list of available books on Booksneeze it was an easy decision to choose it for my next book review.

Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye is an adventure in which Holmes and Dr. Watson time travel to investigate Biblical mysteries such as: Why did David take five stones against Goliath?  What did Jesus write on the ground in the John 8 story of the woman caught in adultery? Why did the Lord have the walls of Jericho Collapse?

The idea grabbed my attention.  The writing was good.  I think, however, that because I have so little time for pleasure reading, I just couldn't sink my teeth into this one.  It is obvious that the author is academic and intellectual.  Perhaps I am not, and that was the problem for me with this book.  Honestly, I didn't make it all the way through.  I ended up flipping through each chapter to find the answers to the questions (terrible, I know), but I just couldn't get interested enough to actually read the pages that led to the answers.  And in some cases, I didn't agree with his conclusions, if that matters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys informational books or Biblical investigations.  If you're just looking for a fun, easy novel to read, I would say pass on this one.

I received this book from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion.

So, It's Past Time, Right?

I think everyone who keeps up with us on here is already aware of the fact that we are expecting baby number four.  To say it was a surprise is an understatement.  We had decided that we love our boys are were completely satisfied with three of them and weren't sure we wanted mess with what was working just fine for us.  And then...well, surprise!

I'm not sure why I've waited so long to put it on here.  Probably a combination of the shock having to wear off, then the nausea and exhaustion having to wear off so I actually felt like putting anything on here, then we just decided to wait until we could say:

IT'S A GIRL!!!

While another boy would have been a happy thing too, we are thrilled to be getting the chance to love a little girl.  I know Kris will be an amazing girl daddy, and the boys could definitely use a little softening around the edges.  I really don't even know what to expect this little girl to do to me, but I'm sure it will be wonderful.  I have to confess that at this point, I'm just super excited about pretty, long hair and hair bows!

If you didn't catch it on the video of Eli's birthday party, go back and look and see that my belly is already well on its way to large.  This fourth pregnancy has been no joke so far, and I have discovered that the belief that pregnancies with boys are all out front and pregnancies with girls are all over to be  quite accurate.  My "big girl" panties are already snug.  And September is far, far away.  

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've seen recipes for natural laundry detergent before, heard people talk about how they made theirs and contemplated making my own for a while.  I'm sure you know as well as I do that the natural laundry detergent at the stores is ridiculously expensive.  And I'm also sure you've heard or read from at least one source why the natural options are better and how the other kind is going to damage your children or the world or whatever.  I'll spare you the details.

I finally got the motivation to go for it.  I used this recipe for the liquid laundry detergent.  I feel sure that making the powder laundry detergent would be far less messy, but I just figured if I was going to do it I wanted to maximize my savings.  Probably, I would make it in the bathtub next time (with the exception of the stove top part, of course), even though it wasn't horribly messy, just wet.

This was one of the things on my Mother's Day wish list, so I had good helpers.

Luke and Eli thought it was a lot of fun.  I think it made us all feel a little like pioneers (or maybe Pilgrims, since Luke already thinks I was one back before he was born).

After using this for almost a week, I like it.  I haven't seen any negatives yet, even after washing a really dirty, stinky, little (and big) boy load.  Here are a few tips I would give:
1. Mix it up in the bathtub.
2. Pour it into jugs in the bathtub or outside.
3. Gather your gallon containers before making your batch. (That might be a "duh" for some people, but it was not for me, and we have had a covered 5 gallon bucket sitting in our garage for a week now as a result.)
4. If you're intimidated by 5 gallons, cut it in half.  

I'm not planning on making my own soap or candles, but this was worth the time and effort.

My Mother's Day

After being (sort of) left to myself to sleep in Saturday morning, I was awakened by my boys to my Mother's Day breakfast.

 They were so proud to have this to present to me, and I enjoyed every bite.

When Kris asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day I knew what to request.  We spent the day doing things on my list that had been growing of things that I either needed help to do or just needed the motivation of having someone doing it with me to get it done.  We also swam in the neighbor's pool and relaxed.  Kris cleaned, did the grocery shopping and finished just about everything on my list.  I think it was probably my happiest Mother's Day to date because I felt so adored by my boys.  

Thank you, all my boys, for loving on me and showing me how much you love and appreciate me.  I have the best job in the world!

Eli's Birthday Bash

We celebrated Eli's birthday with family the Sunday before his actual birthday.  While I know a day will come where the boys want to invite every friend they've ever had, I am enjoying how much easier a family party is.  They are fully satisfied, and I am grateful!

Again this year, Eli didn't want a theme.  I kept making suggestions, and all he would say is that he wanted strawberry cake. So, Publix gave him the biggest strawberries I've ever seen for his cake, and he loved them.

In heaven!

Batman and his cousin stopped by to eat some cake.

'Cause really, as long as there are presents, that's all that matters to a six year old, right?

A Razor scooter with sparks was at the top of his wish list.  The wheels and the side of the scooter light up and the back break makes sparks.  So fun.

Lunchtime Laughter

Yesterday at lunch, in the span of five minutes, I had these two converstions:

Luke: "Mom, so, did you live like the Pilgrims did?  You know, churning butter and making all your own stuff?"
Me: "Umm...how old do you think I am?  Go ask Grandma and Papa that question.  They're way older than I am." :)

And then,

Eli: "Mom!  You're a cow!  You have milk in your body!" (With a pointed glance at my chest area.)
Me: Speechless