A few of my favorite things. . .

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. . .while those are lovely, I have a different list! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, just two days away, here is my list of favorites:

My delightful children
My amazing husband
My brand-new, large capacity, beautiful washer and dryer (in the dark of the laundry room today, I whispered my love to them)

Okay, I admit it. My daughter was begging me to update my blog, since I am quite delinquent in doing so. The most exciting thing I could think of was the installation of my new washer and dryer today. After two months of being dryer-less, nothing could trump that today! It felt inherently wrong to only be thankful for a washer and dryer, so I added my children and husband so as not to seem so materialistic!

I miss you already!

Yesterday, my dad and husband removed our sink and dishwasher. I bid them farwell with a tear in my eye, thinking of the next month or longer washing dishes in the bathroom. The kids think it's great; our stuff is scattered everywhere in the house. We do dishes in the bathroom - what will be next - the Kramer-esque option of preparing dinner in the shower "while I bathe?". I can only keep my sanity by looking ahead to how great it will be when it is finished. In the meantime, we'll just pretend we're camping. . .long term. . .while still trying to have a psuedo-normal life.

Incognito

Since my husband and I didn't feel comfortable using our kids' names on the internet for all the world to see (since I have SO many readers, you know!), I asked the older ones what aliases they wanted to use. So - here are my children's new names, and what they would have picked for themselves, had we not done it for them. Meet: our daughter Felicity, 7, our son Max, 6, our son Noah, 3, and our son Jacob, 1. Okay, the younger two didn't quite get the whole idea, so I chose for them. I've always liked the name Noah, but have always been veteod. Jacob was our second choice for our baby.

Speaking of babies, I just read of two babies with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome who recently passed away. It was heartbreaking looking at their pictures online; they looked so similar to our little guy's baby pictures. Both these babies had other complications, but it certainly hit close to home. How thankful we are that our son was spared and we have had 3 wonderful years with him and look forward to a lifetime more.

The kids asked me to tell all their birth stories tonight. It took an amazingly long time to get through them all, due to the constant interruptions, but it was so fun to relive all their births. They were so interested in hearing (almost!) all the details. Finally, I have a captive audience for all the reminiscing I am so apt to fall prey to!

Ah, the memories!

Our second oldest turned six today. We relived his birth, especially his favorite story. A few minutes after he was born, the nurse gave him to me to hold and nurse (this lasted for an hour, by the way. After a few minutes, I was ready to give him back - I didn't think dropping him out of exhaustion was a good way to welcome him into the world!). Skin to skin contact is apparently good for newborns, so he was naked, next to my (mostly) undressed body - the fashionable hospital gowns don't cover much. As I snuggled my new miracle, I felt a warm trickle go down the left side of my body. Instead of being pleased that his pipes worked, I remember thinking "It could be a day or more before I get a shower. I am covered in urine". Ah, how things change (although with two still in diapers, I am still around a fair amount of bodily fluids).
He received not one, but two Webkinz today, so his day was made. It was so fun to hear the kids on the computer ironing out all the details together.

The family room beams were strengthened today, yahoo!! This pretty much means that my husband and a wonderful, generous man from church worked for 9 hours or so, with no visible change to the room, to the naked eye. Thankfully, my husband and compadre don't have naked eyes, and felt quite accomplished. Now we can move on. I hear the kitchen demo is next. Goodbye, dishwasher, stove and microwave! I will miss you all!

Here goes nothing!

I thought I would give blogging a try, since all of America seems to have gotten on the bandwagon. I'm not sure who will read this, although I'm sure my children will be supportive, especially if I promise to post their pictures (and maybe offer a little candy too).

Today was my third child's first day of preschool. How time flies! It seems like just yesterday we were in the midst of his rocky birth, praying for his life to be spared. And now there he was, proud and strong, bounding into his new school, just like his big brother and sister. What a blessing he has been to us these last three years, and how far he has come. God is truly good!

Our house continues to be a wreck, due to our main floor remodeling. We have no ceiling, no drywall, no fireplace, but big mess! There is a layer of dust on the entire first floor (actually, now that I think of it, not that unlike the usual!). The baby is dusty from head to toe from crawling in it all. I'm trying not to think about all the dirt that is making its way into his mouth. My husband is working doggedly to get things done, and I am so thankful for his drive. I would have pooped out a few weeks ago; picking paint colors and cabinets would have proven to stressful for me. Thank goodness we are opposites! I know it will be wonderful when it's done (when will that be, again?).