Whew! Long time...

Yeah, yeah. I know. I kinda went MIA for a while. But this has been a long month. And we've had quite a few fun days outside, too. The baseball tradition has continued in this family. Jadon has developed a strong desire to be part of the action already. Chloe and Micah are usually willing to oblige.
He's also really into basketball. Really any kind of ball will do with this guy.

Then last week, Jody and Mark flew to Orlando for the week. So Mark's mom kept their kids until Wed when I picked up the girls(she dropped the boys off the next day) and we spent the rest of the week at their house. I would've brought them here, but I just thought my two bedroom house was a little small to add 4 extra kiddos. Poor Lydia looks so sad. But she actually had a lot of fun playing outside with the sandbox. I hope her Mommy's not too mad when she sees her tights. I tried to get them clean;).Besides, can you imagine anything cuter than these little feet?

Jadon really enjoyed the sandbox, too. At least when he wasn't in trouble for taking Lydia's shovel away.

Anyway, so now we're home and praying for nicer weather. It's been so sketchy around here and these kids are feeling a little tricked by the short stint of 70s a couple of weeks ago followed by 3 inches of snow this weekend.

Finally!

So our poor van that I have been disallowed from driving gave out on Kevin on Friday. I spent most of the day picking him up and transporting him from the mechanic to work and back again. We had found a minivan we liked but we were on the fence. The mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with our current van, so we brought it home and went back to the dealership on Saturday to drive it again. Or, at least we tried to go back. We ended up calling a tow truck from the side of the road. Kevin's dad had to pick us up to get us the rest of the way to the dealership. At which point, we decided that we were done messing around with the old van and just bit the bullet to get the new(er) one. It's a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. This is not actually the one we bought, but you get the idea. It's beautiful inside and out. And it has all the features Kevin wanted plus a few more. I like it a lot, although I would have been happy with one that just made it into town. Suffice it to say that my husband is much pickier about the features than I, and I am happy to benefit from his discernment. Anyway, I'm very pleased with our new van. And thankful that God provided something close to home. Especially considering we drove 4 hours to purchase our last vehicle. Breaking down 4 hours from home would have been incredibly unpleasant.

Playtime with the Rodies

Due to a ridiculous amount of snow followed by mud (repeat cycle many times) this has become the favorite pastime of my children.

Sad, but true.
Meanwhile, Grandma Ellen and Papa Joe are making great progress in the basement. I wish I had the knowledge, or child-free moments, to help. But just look how marvelous these people are.

What a blessing family is.

No Advil stinks

I've had a headache all day today. And being pregnant means no Advil. Tylenol is for the birds. So I've been self medicating with Girl Scout cookies. Peanut Butter patties to be exact. I would've had the Thin Mints, those are my favorites. But the kids were up and I do NOT share my Thin Mints.

Some Bullets from our Lives

• As most of you have figured out, we are expecting our fourth child. It's a little unnerving considering my recent miscarriage, but seeing the heartbeat has done a lot to assuage my fears. The due date is Sept 23, but all that really means is that he or she is guaranteed not to be born on that day.
• Jadon had his surgery on Tuesday. He's doing really well, a little fussy and a couple of fevers, but nothing that wasn't expected.
• Kevin is in Florida with 2 brothers and a cousin and an Aunt, as well as their families. I'm jealous.
• Our van is on its last leg. My husband informed me that he will drive it now until we find a suitable replacement, so I'm cramming 3 kids into our little crossover Saturn. If any of you know of someone just giving away minivans, why don't you just send 'em my way.
• Mom2Mom is hosting a parenting conference with Dr Todd Cartmell at the church this weekend. This morning was a great workshop for Moms on sibling rivalry. Tonight will be dinner for Dads Only and a discussion of male role models. Tomorrow morning is for Moms and Dads and the workshop is focusing on raising respectful kids. Very exciting topics!
• That's about all for us right now, although as I look over the list, I suppose it's been pretty busy around here. All I know is that I'm tired all the time and I will be very glad when I am through with the first trimester of this pregnancy. Maybe I'll be able to get something done without taking 2 or 3 naps a day.