home stretch miscellany

1. 38 weeks pregnant! only two weeks to go...give or take a couple of days...or weeks! I am feeling well and excited to meet our Evelyn Claire! but I am truly taking each day at a time, and enjoying the final days as a family of four. life goes by way too quickly, doesn't it?!
I would say we are "ready"-- ready as you can be for a new family transition. each time I feel like I have my list checked off, though, I think of more things that can be done, and then I feel completely not ready all over again! ha. the good thing is that newborns don't need much-- a mama and daddy, some lots of clean diapers, and a few outfits. in that case, we're ready. oh, and my hospital bag is officially packed!

38-week belly + some brotherly lovin'.

2. in preparation for this transition, our boys (a new three and 17 months old) are sharing a room! I have to admit, I wasn't too thrilled about putting them together so soon when they are both good sleepers and we were in a good groove. I mean, what pregnant mama doesn't like sleeping until 7:30 or 8 every morning? the first few days, the rooster apparently crowed between 6 and 6:30 and I was none too pleased! gradually, things have adjusted and our boys are learning to sleep through each other's noises, and sleep until what I consider a normal wake-up time! as a room-sharer for the majority of my life, I am thrilled for them to have this experience and closeness. it will be a sweet time for the brother bond as they grow up.

my munchkins. love them so much.

3. someone in our house just had a birthday! we celebrated my husband's big 3-3 this weekend with a backyard full of good friends! I am incredibly thankful for my older, wiser, and very humble husband! what a blessing to share life with this Godly man who is so devoted to his family.



happy birthday, babe!

lots of apple pie and crème de menthe brownies...time to PARTY!

4. I did something (that I think is) super domestic (nothing like self-proclaimed domesticity). I made my own laundry detergent. finally. I have had this on my list of things to do for m.o.n.t.h.s. It was a very easy and enjoyable process-- even grating the soap. a few days into using this new, inexpensive soap on our clothes, my husband comes home from work, itching like a flea-ridden dog. uh-oh. I was so bummed! so, for now, I am washing his clothes separately with hopefully enough persistence to finish the year-long supply of homemade, cheaper-than-dirt detergent. oh, well.

5. i.love.summer. especially here in Washington. I think there is something to love about each season (and fall is technically still my favorite, as you will hear me go on and on about in just a few short months!), but the sun-filled, long days of summer are pretty hard to beat! we spent the majority of the weekend outside, together as a family, and i loved every second of it! top it off with a seal sighting (sorry, no pictures, except the ones permanently captured in my head), time with friends, and a beautiful mountain to grace us with its presence and it was just about perfect. what an amazing Creator God, to speak the world around us into existence and share its beauty with all of creation?!?!

picnic dinner on the water, mountain in view. all this just a few miles from our house!

speechless.

linking up with Carissa