Pictures don't always turn out quite right when a certain 7 year old takes them for you. :)  I wanted a picture of my 27 week belly, and he wanted to include the pink tulips in the garden.  So the lighting is a bit off, but you get the idea!


This was my semi-professional "look" that I wore to a meeting with the principal at our neighborhood public school.  I wanted something more put together than yoga pants and a t-shirt!  The pants are a lovely dove-grey pinstripe that I found for $6 at Savers (you can't really see them in the photo - sorry).  The shirt is borrowed from a friend, and the pearls are a legacy from my grandmother.  It was nice to feel pretty!


Oh, and the school meeting went really, really well!  I met a lot of teachers, observed about six different classes, and was very impressed with the passion and pride that is clearly evident in the teachers and administrative leadership.  It looks like a good place for our kids next year.

He had picked everything up, carefully made our bed (with all the decorative pillows!) and even lit the candle beside the bed.  At the end of the bed was a card, which said the following:

From Jonathan
to mom and dad.
I love you 5,000 tims more evry secent 

 That boy has a deep sweetness inside, and I am so blessed to be the recipient of his surprises!

And the second thing to make me smile?

Beautiful tulips that bloom in spite of the utter lack of care I have been devoting to my poor neglected garden. 
"Behold, I make all things new."  Revelation 21:5

Kitchen:


Table:


Living room:


Desk:


He even lined up my pens.  I may have walked around with a stunned expression for awhile.

And then praised and thanked him extravagantly.  Because you know what?  That was an extravagant gift that he gave me. 

And it was definitely the best way to wake up EVER! :)

It is hard to take a good belly photo of myself, but now that I'm looking actually pregnant (rather than simply thick around the middle!) I thought it might be a good time to try.  Thanks to Mom and Dad for the cute shirt!  This is the first actual maternity shirt that I've worn this pregnancy.  The jeans are still my regular ones, with a bella band (fabulous invention!) to hold them up. :)

And here is an illustration of what our peanut probably looks like right now. Eeety Bity Living Space!

It was a HUGE hit.  The box is small, but it was packed with goodies.  Cardboard penguins with markers and stickers for decorating them, Fiskar scissors for little hands, Pentel oil pastels and watercolor paints, penguin postcards ready to become masterpieces, a penguin shaped ice cube tray, and instruction booklets that also include fun facts and interesting "explore more!" experiments to try.


The boxes are geared towards kids ages 3-7, and I'd say that Kiwi Crate personnel are spot on in their age assessment.  Josiah (4) and Thomas (5) were the most interested in longer term play with the penguins, but Jonathan (7) was just as interested in creating them.  Jonathan especially enjoyed the inclusion of "real oil pastels!"
 

The kids were thrilled with their penguin "family", and after bowling for a bit ended up taking them to bed with them for quiet time.

Bottom line: I highly recommend Kiwi Crate.  Purchase through a link in this post and you'll get $10 off your first month's box, and I get referral credit too (which is always nice). :)  It is a monthly subscription that you're signing up for, but the website is easy to navigate and if you decide you don't want to continue, you can deactivate your subscription with a click.  Considering the results of this first box, I plan to continue my subscription indefinitely.  This is perfect for preschool/kindergarten and I know my boys will look forward to their box each month!