WayfaringStrangers

It's one of "those" posts...I'm a jumbled mess and just trying to type out all the feelings and thoughts. I am tired. Patrick wiggled his way into our bed at some dark o'clock. He kissed me and then laid quietly. I looked at the clock: 5 a.m. "Oh good," I thought, "he'll go back to sleep." 5:15: He's still laying awake. "He will go back to sleep." 5:25: Still awake. "5 a.m. cannot be his wake up time." 5:40: Still awake. "5 a.m. cannot be his wake up time." 5:55: Still awake. "I feel like death..." 6:10: Now he's whispering about cheerios. 6:15: Thankfully Behn got up with him. 6:16: Graham wiggles into bed with me. And so. I am tired. I am also 2 days away from my 3rd trimester, which is another tiring factor. Growing humans is serious business, folks. I am full on waddling now, and had quit all my part time jobs because I just can't anymore. I feel fairly depleted and yet ...

It's a perfect day to sit down for a minute and write. We are grateful to be warm and cozy (and with electricity) during the Blizzard of 2016. The boys are making a blanket fort and I have this Chicken Enchilada Soup simmering in the crock pot while the snow continues to fall outside. Graham is enjoying the snow- sledding, trying to build a snow tunnel, making snow angels- while Patrick has not changed from his pj's and is completely happy inside the house. Behn and I have taken turns outside with Graham and the cold air is refreshing. We have yet to see a snow plow today, so we may be here for a while...I think we are up to 15 inches! We have already had hot chocolate, watched The Snowman,  and played Chutes and Ladders. Happy snow day. [We will see if I'm singing the same tune when we are still snowed in 5 days later]. I'm now 27 weeks (6 months) pregnant, and feeling it. Baby boy kicks and moves all the time and it's hard to believe that h...

Back when I first got pregnant with this one, we talked about "not finding out." You know, if the baby was a boy or a girl. At first, it seemed like it would be easy. People never used to know what they were having, right? I declined the 10 week blood test that would show for abnormalities and also reveal the gender. We moved on. Then we started talking about names. We've always had a girl name, but coming up with another boy name was a challenge. And then I started looking through the baby clothes. Would I need all these baby boy clothes? Or could I purge most of them? Should I be looking at little sundresses? Our 20 week ultrasound was scheduled. Behn and I decided to have them write down if the baby was a boy or a girl, so that we could decide later on if we wanted to know. At this point, I was pretty much itching to find out. As it turns out, the ultrasound tech wasn't allowed to write it down, but she did print a very specific potty shot so that we could deci...

A few weeks ago, our first little guy turned FIVE! Oh, Graham, where do I begin? Little G, as we call him sometimes, is such a smart, fun kid. He has really grown up this past year and thrived in preschool, t-ball, self-care, and friendships. He asks the most interesting questions, brain always turning, and is well-spoken. He has an impeccable memory. While he does fight with Patrick a lot- they have such a rivalry- he's  very loyal to those he loves and I've never seen a little boy more tender with his baby cousins.  More and more he asks spiritual questions, and we feel we see his heart working for the Lord. He's still a challenge in a lot of ways. He's smart and energetic and seems to need to be constantly doing something. Kind of like a German Shepherd. He is very silly (too much at school sometimes!) but a natural leader. He reminds me so much of my brother Isaac, who has a similar personality. I only pray all of this personality and his gifts are used to ...

This past week has been (another) sick one. I suppose being pregnant ruins the immune system because I feel like I've been sick for months. The kids and I have been miserable lately. I hate to be a downer about Christmas... after all, the week has held a lot of joy. We took naps, watched a bunch of movies, and even rallied to go to the Christmas Eve service this year! Christmas Day itself was sweet. The boys woke up at the reasonable hour of 7:15, and we enjoyed opening a few gifts with them. We had breakfast. Then we all chilled for a long time, and later on Behn and I finished getting the house and food ready to have my family over. I know it was a special time, I just have little memory of it, as I robotically worked to make sure everything ran. I really appreciate my Mom's help, and Behn is a good host. We had my parents, grandmother, aunt Jeanne, my sister Olivia + Dennis, brother Aaron + Autumn, and brother Stephen. It was a very full house, as our space is pretty tin...

Trying to catch up on here! A couple of weeks ago, Behn and I had a special evening in D.C. to see The Nutcracker. Earlier in November, we decided it would be a fun Christmas gift to each other this year. We don't get out alone often- and to the city? Never! So, we bought some tickets and secured lovely grandparents for babysitting and planned to go. Me, before we left, showing off my 20 weeks baby bump It was more fun than I even thought it would be. My parents had the kids for the night, so we didn't feel rushed. We took our time getting ready and then drove up to the nearest metro stop to take the metro into the city. It all felt very posh and urban, although really we're just simple country  suburbanites who barely know how to purchase metro tickets. We whooshed into the city and got off right downtown. It was a nice area, lights everywhere, and lots of people out shopping and enjoying the mild December air. I felt kind of giddy and carefree and declared a...

This post is purely a "write it down so you don't forget about where you spent Thanksgiving in 2015." Because I will forget if I don't write it down. We spent this Thanksgiving holiday in Delaware this year. The first night we were hosted by Rachael, Matt, and Marielle. It was fun being over there and seeing all the updates to their home. Then, we headed just a little further north to Luke, Jess, Lily, and Silas' house for the big dinner. We were joined by Mom and Dad T, Rach, Matt, Marielle, and our friends the D's. Everything was great and the weather was warm so the kids played outside a lot. Kids Table: Graham eating a roll, carrots, and grapes. And that's about it. Patrick eating grapes, a roll, and carrots. And that's about it. Grateful for warm weather and cousins. We spent the next two nights at Mom and Dad T's. Dad T has been recovering from knee surgery, so it was low-key and cozy. Friday morning we sto...