Thomas

I'm really enjoying Thomas right now.



He's recently developed a really compassionate desire to assist Josiah. If Siah is crying, Thomas will offer him his own stuffed teddy bear, or share his snack, or pat his back and softly murmur "it's ok, Josiah, it's ok." (Josiah often responds to these ministrations with a truly awful show of spite, throwing the proffered objects on the floor and screaming, but so far Thomas remains unhurt and undaunted.) I love watching my little boys transform into "big brother". I remember when Jonathan did it with Thomas and it is really fun to watch that sweetness happen again.

Today I haven't been feeling well and was hoping to take a nap in the afternoon. Jonathan and Josiah cooperated by falling asleep, but Thomas wasn't sleepy at all. So when the hour of quiet time was up, I mustered a smile and prepared to be back on duty. Only, this lovely introvert didn't really need me. He had a hug and a snuggle, then went happily over to a pile of duplos and built things, humming and talking quietly to himself. Occasionally he brought something over to display, but it bothered him not one bit that I was lying prone on the couch instead of playing with him.

As I was prepping dinner, Thomas asked for a snack. I provided one, and he grinned and told me that this snack was about to make him into a grown up. "Really?" I asked, "go look into the mirror and see." So he's been running to the mirror between bites, checking to see if he's a grown up yet. A moment ago he informed me that yes, now he is a grown up.

Seven years!

Yesterday Gabe and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.

This is us on our honeymoon. Don't we look cute?



This is us now. Still cute, no?



Copying my anniversary buddy Ma Torg (we share the same wedding date) I wrote out the highlights of our life together thus far:

Year 1: Gabe works at Imagine Systems and Emily starts a short-lived teaching career.

Year 2: Jonathan is conceived, carried, and born. Gabe starts a master's degree, Emily stops teaching, and we buy a house.

Year 3: Gabe keeps working on the degree while working part time at Imagine. Emily tries to juggle the house, the garden, and a rather demanding small child. Somewhere in there she achieves the rank of Black Belt in Tang Soo Do.

Year 4: Gabe graduates with a Master's Degree in Computer Science, and just in time, as baby number two is born two months later.

Year 5: Emily succumbs to her entrepreneurial heritage and starts Lullaby Slings.

Year 6: Our third baby is born...at home! Gabe starts working at Data Tree.

Year 7: Gabe becomes a Benedictine oblate. Emily assists at two births, then starts a doula certification program. Josiah turns 1, Thomas turns 3, and Jonathan turns five.

I like our life together. It has been full and good; rich in love and laughter and books and babies. Marrying Gabe was exactly the right decision.

Good deal on HP ink!

It is hard to find deals on printer ink, so I was really pleased to discover this one. Even more pleased to discover it on my own rather than reading about it elsewhere! Yay me. :)

HP is currently offering two great deals: FREE next day shipping on HP ink, toner, and paper, and FREE paper (up to $9.99) when you buy an ink multipack (limit 2). I believe this is part of their memorial weekend sale, so you should take advantage of it right away if you're interested.

On top of that, you can use the coupon code SVMX34931 to get $10 off a $50 subtotal.

So, go over to HP. Add one ink multipack, and one pack of paper. Make sure that your subtotal (before the free paper discount) is over $50. Then put in your coupon code. It ends up being a sweet little stacked discount!

Here's what I bought:
27/28 ink multipack $41.99
Bright White paper $9.99

SVMX34931 discount -$10.00
FREE paper discount - $9.99

tax +$2.96
TOTAL: $34.95 for two ink cartridges AND a pack of paper!

Great deal on children's books

Better World Books is having a sale on their used children's books. If you put 5 in your cart, the price will automatically adjust to only $2 per book! And shipping is FREE. I have ordered from Better World Books in the past and have been delighted with their products and their customer service. If you're looking to build your child's library, this is a great opportunity. Take a look at the extensive list of participating items right here!

(No, I don't get any sort of kick back for recommending this company - I just really like them and think this is a good sale.) :)

Schooling with Jonathan

I can't ever remember what (if anything) I've posted about our plans for schooling Jonathan. Well, we're planning on homeschooling next fall, probably through a combination of CHEP (a public homeschool charter) and possibly a friend who will be teaching a small group of homeschool students two mornings a week. Mostly, though, we'll just keep doing what we're already doing, which is what keeps my anxiety at bay. :)

Right now we have "preschool time" three or four mornings a week. Sometimes we practice handwriting, sometimes we do a math page or play with Mortensen math blocks. Some mornings we read together in the BOB books. Sometimes we do animal discovery and sometimes we paint models and sometimes we bake bread. As long as we rotate and don't get stuck on just one thing forever, it doesn't really matter to me which one we do. And Jonathan is much happier when he gets to pick. :) Obviously that can't last forever, but for now it is working well for us.

Depending on the day and the activity and the interest level, we spend 20-60 minutes in this semi-formal "schooling". The rest of the day is informal. We read books together, they read books to themselves during quiet time, we play outside and garden and when I do laundry they help sort and match socks. Jonathan is learning to fold his own shirts! There is so much more to learning than just "academics", and I'm starting to relax into this gentler understanding of school.

Fun things

Gardening with the boys



Capturing pill bugs





Watching birds nest in our hanging planter - it is a little hard to see, but those are two baby birds on the left side of the mama! (This was taken a week ago, and now the babies are flying!)



Ice cream cones in the sunshine



A visit to a small local farm to see the baby goats

Dr. Biter AKA "Dr. Wonderful"

Dr. Biter (often referred to as "Dr. Wonderful") is a OB in the San Diego area. He is known for his care of patients and championing a woman's right to choose a birth without intervention. On May 7th, his privileges at Scripps hospital were suspended without notice. Scripps is not currently commenting.

Dr. Biter is one of those doctors that we all wish we could have - the doctor who takes his time, offers support and respect, and sits on his hands instead of reaching for his scalpel. And while we don't know the details or what exactly is going on, it is worthwhile to follow the story and (I think) to support this man who has given so much to his patients.

Dou-la-la has some excerpts of a beautiful birth story (Dr. Biter attending) here.

She also has the most current details.

Photo credit: EOS Photography

Babies and Bellies giveaway

Hey folks, Nicole over at Bellies and Babies is holding a whole slew of pregnancy/doula related giveaways this month, and I'm participating! Go take a look at some of the interesting things available, and enter to win! My offering is a midwifery scale sling, if you're interested. Enjoy!

Honeymoon cookin'

Have any of you heard of Kara Kilmer? She is one of the girls on a Hulu show called "If I Can Dream". Honestly, the show isn't that great. But I'm still watching it each week, entirely because of Kara. Not only is she a very talented actress and vocalist, she's also a Christian, and I am blown away by her winsome grace in the middle of Hollywood.

Anyway, Hulu just posted a short video of Kara recording her song "Honeymoon cookin'" in studio. It is a lot of fun and Kara has a wonderful voice. Enjoy!

Raising kids with Romeo

I thought this was great. Thanks, Sarah, for posting it!

Evidence

This evening I was going through last month's pictures on our digital camera. Right after the Easter photos I found this:



Isn't it nice that they documented their naughtiness?

Consequences

Jonathan and Thomas trashed their room today during quiet time. Now, normally I don't have a problem with messes. They play, have fun, and eventually we have a pick up time. But this was an issue of disobedience, because they were supposed to be playing with a few select toys on their beds (not getting off or playing with each other).

So in a moment of brilliance, instead of getting mad, I explained that they would have to pick it up before they came out.

It's looking like I'm going to get a lot of time to myself this morning. :)