Expecting

My husband and I found out recently that we are expecting a baby this fall. I am really excited, but somewhat nervous at the same time. Gracie will be almost five and Drew will be about two and a half when our new baby arrives. Sometimes I wonder if I will be able to handle three children. And then there are the extra expenses: medical expenses, some maternity and baby gear (we thought we were done and gave it all away), a minivan (three car seats won't fit in either of the vehicles we currently own), and maybe a bigger house. Everything is up in the air now.

I told my husband that we were going to have to name the baby Kendall because that's as close to a Kindle as I'm going to get any time in the near future.

Shoveling Snow

I think my husband delights in telling his coworkers strange stories about our family. One day last week he told everyone how I got mad at him because he shoveled the snow out of the driveway. His coworkers must think I'm a nut.

It was, however, true that I got a bit frustrated with him for shoveling the driveway, because I wanted to do it! I had had a particularly frustrating day with Drew and Gracie, and all day I had been looking forward to going out after they were asleep to shovel the snow. I thought it would give me some exercise and a productive outlet for my frustration, but by the time I got outside, my husband was just finishing up with the sidewalk. Grrr.

So, when it snowed several inches last Thursday night, my husband was careful not to make that mistake again. He drove the Jeep to work on Friday so he could get through the snow in the driveway, and left the shoveling to me. Saturday morning he stayed inside with Drew, while Gracie and I played in shoveled the snow. My husband said it looked like I was working awfully slowly (oops, he caught me!) and when my brother called, my husband told him I was taking a vacation outside.

I was proud of myself, though, because several times when I have gone out to shovel the driveway, I play at it for a while and then let my husband finish the job. (You know, shoveling all the heavy, slushy, dirty snow mixed with sand and salt that the snowplow deposits at the end of the driveway.) This time, I stayed outside and worked at it until I finished the job.

Unfortunately, it snowed again last night. Maybe I will let my husband shovel the snow this time.

Crazy Weather

Our weather has been crazy! Last night we had thunder, lightning, and heavy snow ... all at the same time. Today the high is supposed to be 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I wish the weather would make up its mind.

New Year's Resolutions 2008 (as of February 1)

I can't believe January is over already! I thought that since it's the first day of a new month, it would be a good day to check up on my New Year's Resolutions to see how I am doing:

1. Read one chapter of the Bible to Drew and Gracie each day. We have read the book of Matthew and have started reading the book of Mark. We missed reading two days, but doubled up for a couple of days to catch up. Gracie has been enjoying listening to the stories about Jesus.
2. Get organized. Simplify and de-clutter. Establish some household routines. Teach Drew and Gracie to help out with some simple household chores each day. I can't believe I listed all this stuff as one goal! I have sorted out many books and some baby items that we no longer use. (I still have a lot of clutter left!) I am working on my daily routines. Drew and Gracie help me make my bed, fold laundry, dry dishes, and put away their toys most days.
   
3. Add a few more formal preschool-type activities for Gracie to our daily routine. Gracie and I practiced her letters and letter sounds for a while but stopped at her request. She has plenty of time to learn and I decided not to rush her.
   
4. Read a book each week. Eleven books on my reading list so far.
   
5. Find something that I can do from home to earn some money. I need to start looking!
   
6. Reduce my sugar intake and eat more healthy foods. I just ate a spoonful of hot fudge sauce while I wrote this post (at least I didn't eat the ice cream, too!) ...
   
7. Blog more often!