Nesting....

I've officially hit the "nesting" phase of this pregnancy. Hallelujah. My house was a disaster. Now it smells swiffer clean. Yesterday I went through all my baby clothes, set up the bassinet, and washed everything small and pink I could find. I even went to the store and bought one package of the teensy-eansy diapers. As I lay in bed last night I could hardly contain my excitement. Of course I'm excited not to be co-habitating with this little girl any longer, but it's turned into more than that. I'm really anticipating holding her sweet little body in my arms. I can't barely stand not knowing what she looks like yet. I'm so excited to be able to roll over in my bed facing the bassinet and listening to the little sounds she will make. I feel so grateful for "surprises". I would never have thought twice about not having another baby had this not occurred. But, I'm already wondering how in the world I considered not adding another little person to our household. No, this doesn't mean we will continue to add more, in case anyone gathered that from my post. I'm just really grateful that I get one more babe to enjoy before they all grow up and leave my house to explore their own lives. I can't think of anything sweeter than the smell of a freshly bathed newborn swaddled up tight in a blanket laying in my arms. Less than a week to go......

Voila....

Our carpet is finally installed. Oh the joy of getting my house back. Jack, Landon, and I are busy carrying toys back downstairs and organizing them. This weekend me & the kids are going to scrub every nook and cranny so that the house will be spectacular for the new baby. I'm getting induced on the 4th, and it couldn't come any sooner. I would actually love to be in labor this very minute. However, my Mother-In-Law isn't coming into town until the night of the 3rd. Logistics make it so much easier if I just hold out until then. I'm really hoping this baby is smaller than the others. By the size of my belly I would have to guess otherwise, but you never know. Crook babies are never small, but less than 10 lbs would be nice.

7 Years....

Kennedy recently celebrated her 7th birthday. She really wanted to do a party at our house with all her friends. Due to our basement dilemma, and the fact that our house is completely upside down because of it, she decided she'd like to take her friends to the movie theater. I got to take her and her girlfriends sans the boys. Shawn happened to be home to keep an eye on them. Unfortunately for me, the movie chosen was "Space Chimps". No explanation necessary. It was as good as it sounds. The girls seemed to have a good time, and even enjoy the show. This was the absolute easiest party I've ever hosted in my life. Kennedy has such sweet little friends.

For her cake this year she wanted a letter "K". I obliged. She did the decorating herself, in case you were wondering.

Stripes and Plaids....

Kennedy got Jack all ready for church last Sunday, complete with a good hair combing. When he came out and was so excited I didn't have the heart to make him change. Striped tie and plaid shirt? Lovely.

All Their Own...

Today was officially the first day of school. This is the first year my kids took over completely. I wasn't allowed any kind of say in which outfit was worn, how the hair was styled, or anything like unto it. These two have definitely grown up a lot this summer. This is also the first year I wasn't ready for them to leave my home. Anyone that knows me understands that on the last day of school I find out when school is to once again begin and circle it on the calendar with a big red marker. Usually I'm so excited for them to start back up I can barely contain myself. Not this time. This summer went too fast. Both Ethan and Kennedy have been huge lifesavers when it comes to helping me out. Their little brothers adore them. They both really stepped up to help out due to my pregnancy. Ethan has turned into a little man that is just fun to be around. We found ourselves alone in the house quite a bit this summer and we played a lot of games together. I'm the champion of "Trouble" but nobody can conquer Ethan at "Sorry". Kennedy has turned into quite the young lady. She is so much fun when it's just me & her. She loves to shop, and talk, and do girly stuff. But, she's also the first to catch the nastiest bugs in the neighborhood and somehow manages to become the dirtiest. I love that about her. I've really enjoyed them this summer. Today when they were getting dressed, and excitedly talking about anything and everything, I actually tried to hold back tears. Yes, tears. Weird. I dropped Ethan off first, he's too old to have me walk him in the building. Then we headed over to Kennedy's school. I got to actually walk her in. I really wanted to hug the heck out of her, but was trying to restrain myself. She is in 2nd grade you know. Luckily her class was already leaving the gym and she jumped in line at the end. None of her classmates were looking so she allowed me a hug and a kiss on the forehead. I teared up after I told her I loved her. What is wrong with me. I've never felt this before. Hormonal probably. I also think I'm realizing the older my kids get the more fun they become. Only when they really start to get fun they start to trickle away from me. I hope this year is a good one for them. I hope their teachers treat them the way they deserve to be treated. I hope they find friends that make them happy. I hope they remember how much I love them. And how much I like them too. Preschool starts for Jack in 2 weeks. Sadly, I don't anticipate tears being shed. The old me will probably come shining through in full force. Not that I don't love Jack, or enjoy him. I just really enjoy preschool time.

Thinkin'..

This morning while I was in the shower I started thinking about the new baby we are about to bring into our home. I'm so excited to be done sharing my body with her. It's a miracle to be able to carry an entire person you've grown from scratch around with you for 9 months, but the time has come that she needs to move out. Then I started thinking about all my other babies and what it felt like to add them to this family. The birth process, that doesn't enter my mind very much. It hurts. Enough said. The feelings of overwhelming relief when the babe is finally placed in my arms with all body parts in tact. The being able to move out of the delivery room bed by myself without any 3 point turns. The 48 hours of having a nurse at your beck and call. And, they all know Shawn really well, so they treat me especially well. Nice. But, it has never failed to scare me when it comes time to check out and head home. I've felt extremely inadequate every single time I buckle that newborn into it's car seat for the first time. Reality sets in then for some reason. I'm taking this baby home. This is my responsibility. I have to figure out all the cries, and reasons for them. I am the one that needs to love this person unconditionally, along with all the rest. Overwhelming to say the least. I have vivid memories of this experience with each and every one of my other children. Walking in the door for the first time, setting the car seat on the living room floor, and then looking at the baby and thinking "now what?". I do remember that after a few days it seems like the new baby has always been a part of our family. I remember thinking how we would have missed out on so much by not adding this new child to our family. You would think that with all these memories I would be at ease knowing exactly what to expect. But. I'm also wise enough to know to always expect the unexpected. Whatever that may be.

Mama Mia....

My mom has really been talking up this movie. She's seen it a few times with different groups and they've all loved it. I'm not such a musical girl. Grease is one that I used to watch countless times when I was younger, but other than that, not so much. After two different friends of mine asked me if I wanted to see it, I finally relented. I am so glad I caved. What a cute movie. The music was great, the actors all were phenomenal. If I can look even half as good as Meryl Streep when I'm her age. Wow. I dreamt all night about various scenes from the movie in which I was involved. I even woke up singing "Dancing Queen". Go see it. Even if you aren't into musicals, you'll like this one. Unless maybe you are Shawn.