Getting Outdoors

Right now we're on vacation visiting family that has a good deal of property and taking advantage of every second!

The kids have been outside nearly every second this trip and I'm really hoping to continue this trend when we finally get to move into our house.

Nanna is not a very skilled hiker yet...

My little scientist making some discoveries.

Our House!

I am so excited about our house! We finally got to sign papers and get to start moving in when we get back from vacation!

I think the thing that amazes me most is that we've only lived on our own for less than two years and here we're are buying our first home!

I can't wait to make this place out own and really get settled in.

Surrogacy

For a while my husband and I were considering my being a surrogate. We did in the end decide against it. There were so many amazing reasons to do it. I have had a tiny little glimpse into what it's like to want a baby and not get one (only a teeny tiny window really). I have seen first hand how much infertility can make your life hell (not just in my experience, but in those close to me). The really selfish reason is that you get paid somewhere around $30,000 to do it and that money would really do us good since we're buying a house.

Anyway the reasons we decided against it had to do with:

•My health- I'm not sure if I could be cleared for a pregnancy because of certain health concerns I have.

•I'm still nursing- again I'm not sure I'd be cleared based on this fact and I don't plan on weaning Anna any time soon.

•We would like to have more babies- we don't really want to wait that long to have another baby and the process can take a long time even if things move quickly.

And finally 

•Friendship- this may sound strange, but while we were starting the process and starting to really discuss if we wanted to do it a very close friend mentioned something about doing a traditional surrogacy for her (my egg + her husbands sperm). 

Well after that when Shayne and I talked things through we decided that we would put the idea of the money aside and only weigh the other pros and cons. I said if the money wasn't a factor I would want to be a surrogate for my friend, but Shayne decided he was uncomfortable with the traditional surrogacy thus squashing, for sure, the idea of us and surrogacy. At least for now that is.

I know this isn't the greatest picture, but I really felt this post needed one to lighten the mood a little.

Star Trek Quilt

I desperately need to clean off my cutting table! I should just pack it all up for the move and sort it once the new craft room gets set up, but I'm probably gonna leave it for the last second. Anywho I'm trying to make a Star Trek quilt, but I have such a hard time making decisions! I am way to lazy to make it as cool as it deserves to be and I don't have the space to devote to it right now, so I'm making it simple and easy. The fabric is what will make this quilt special. Well that and the three hand embroidered pieces  I did before I got the rest of the fabric.

 

Goals for the new house

•Make a school area for Jackson. I feel like he needs a special space that is specifically for doing serious work without being interrupted by ANYONE. I would also like to keep expensive learning materials separate from toys that visitors and mouthing babies can play with.

•Start implementing a homeschool routine. I want to try starting out the day (after breakfast that is) with circle time where we read a couple books, sing some songs, and do a calendar update. After that I'm not really sure how to plan out the day, I feel like the kids aren't really old enough to have to much structured time.

•Start working on more school materials like the big felt calendar for circle time.

•Have fewer toys out at any one time.

•Develop a better system for rotating out toys and school materials. I really have to stop just throwing everything we aren't using in a big box in the closet!

•Start menu planning. I never have a plan and it makes grocery shopping an "end-of-the-month" meals harder.

•Get into a cleaning routine. Right now I have a very hard time with this because Shayne only works three days a week so the other four days have no rhyme or reason to them. By the time Friday roles around the house it a total mess! 

•Start line drying the clothes and diapers. Shayne doesn't want his clothes or the towels line dried, but I'm going to try line drying them and then fluffing them and see if he notices.

Jackson's Keen Fashion Sense

Rain

I made the kids a whole bunch of baked cotton balls, but Jackson was not very interested in them and Ari just wanted to eats them.

Notice Jacks' snail friend?

Sometimes I think I should be an insect photographer...

We played on a drain in the rain.

Jacks discovered that drain dirt is not tasty.