Finding choc choc & meeting the Easter bunny

We had an early start this morning. Noah was up by 630am and thanks to me and my recent pregnancy insomnia I decided to just get up and get going (and let daddy have a sleep in.) We planned to hit up a local community churches Easter celebrations later in the morning since we had no plans and thought it'd be fun.

Noah got to experience his first Easter egg hunt while there! I wasn't sure how well he'd understand, but within a minute of starting he knew exactly what to do. Find those bright coloured choc chocs and put them in his little bag!

After the hunt we enjoyed a pancake breakfast. Noah currently loves pancakes and oranges so the meal was a big hit with him. He even got to meet the Easter bunny! As soon as he saw him he got a huge smile on his face and started giggling like crazy. He gave him some high fives but wasn't too sure about standing alone with him. So dada jumped in for the picture.

He is now conked out upstairs for his nap and when he wakes up, we'll have a little reunion with his Nana & Papa who have been gone for two weeks. What an exciting day for a 1.5 year old!

When parenting takes over

We are right in the thick of it. That point in life where its all about raising kids, having babies, making the morgage and vehicle payments and simply trying to keep up enough energy to function. We have a great life and I am very thankful for what God has blessed us with. But there is one thing both my husband and I find frustrating. We miss each other!

I know its completely normal once children arrive to have this happen. It's not that we don't love or appreciate each other any less. In fact, I can honestly say I love and appreciate my husband more now then I did when we were first married! He does so much for us on a daily basis and I am incredibly grateful for that. But we just don't have the time for each other like we did before children.

We've tried weekly date nights, but finances, available sitters and pure exhaustion makes it easier to just stay home and fall into our regular evening routines. And here we are about to add another child into the mix, so I know it's only going to get harder. So what's the solution? We honestly don't know! How do others out there with young families make your marriage a top priority between work, play and various other activities? How do you find balance?

I know it will get easier as our children get older, but like I said, we are right now in the thick of things and will be for quite a few years yet. In the meantime, I want our marriage to be the best it can be! And I want to be sure that my husband feels as though he is my top priority. And I want to feel as though I am his! I want us to be the best example we can be of what a loving, God honoring marriage looks like for our children. 

Homeschooling vs Private

Matt and I have discussed on and off for years what kind of education we want for our children. He grew up going to a public school, where as I attended a Christian school for all of but two years (I homeschooled for those other two.)
One thing we have already decided on for sure is that our kids will not be attending their local public school. We aren't at all judging those who choose to do so and I know there are some wonderful teachers in the public system, but it's just not what we want for our family. We don't like the politics involved nor the fact that any kind of Christian belief or celebration is being hindered more and more by our government.

Christian schooling is a wonderful option. I had nothing but positive experiences both attending and working at a private school and would love my children to be apart of that. There is a great sense of community and support in these schools that I haven't heard much about elsewhere. Their academic standings are also substantially higher then other schools which is a great help for kids looking towards post secondary. The problem? The cost... Ouchie. Anytime I look up tuition fees with my husband and we talk about it we think to ourselves, 'How can we ever afford that!?' Living in the Fraser Valley is already an expensive option for a family, so tacking on an extra 500+ a month to attend school is hard to comprehend. Yes, I understand it takes a sacrifice in other areas. But I honestly don't know how some people do it! At least not on one income...

So the other option is homeschooling. Matt and I always come back to the verse in the bible found in Proverbs 22:6 It says, "⁶Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." As parents it is OUR responsibility to teach our children, not the governments. God has left that in our hands. So should we be taking it on ourselves to ensure that our children are taught in all ways of life how we see fit?
I love the idea of teaching our children at home, I really do. My biggest worry is that I won't do a good job or that ill go crazy with the kids all day. And every time I look up information on getting started I find the process so overwhelming. My mom homeschooled my youngest brother for many many years and said it was absolutely no big deal. So perhaps I am over thinking it.

But it'd be super helpful to sit down with someone who does it full time and have it explained to me - or else even with one of the marking teachers from Heritage Or Regent Christian online. If anyone knows of something like this please let me know!

Anyways, those are just my thoughts today. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences as well. Would love to hear them :)

Nap skipper

Noah skipped his afternoon nap again today.
He does this every now and then. It seems that if he misses that sleepy window (between 1130-1230) he won't settle and just gets another wind of energy. He usually can last just fine until around 4:00 or 4:30 but then things go down hill fast.

Sundays we are at church until about 12:30. It's a struggle keeping him happy and occupied for several hours, especially when hes tired and eventually gets bored of the upstairs nursery. When he was a bit younger he would fall asleep in the crib there and it would make things super easy, but he won't do that now. Sunday mornings are exhausting for both mommy and Noah...

So today he yawned all the way home and through his quick lunch before we put him down around 1:30pm. He whined and fussed in his crib for an hour before we finally gave up and brought him down. He was a happy child, running around and laughing. We started making an early dinner around 4:45 and he began to completely fall apart. Matt and I couldn't help but laugh when he had a complete meltdown simply because he couldn't get a cracker into his mouth on a spoon. He wasn't angry, he just started crying his eyes out with his head thrown back. Poor goober...
I don't get it. Most children will just pass out on their parents or the floor or wherever when they get tired enough. But not Noah! He just gets more hyper or more emotional!

At 5:45 we carried him upstairs, read him a few stories and put him down for the night. So early I know but he passed out pretty quick, and really it's only an hour earlier then he usually goes down.
And now, Dada and Mama finally get a break. Ahh...

A sunny Thursday

Not much to report over here. It's another beautiful spring day here in the lower mainland and Noah is suppose to be upstairs napping. However, he has decided that it's much more fun to play in his crib and throw his blankets and stuffies across the room. Certainly doesn't bother me any!

Had a quick prenatal check up this morning and baby Asher still seems to be doing well. Head down, measuring right on track and a heart beat of 145. We talked a little about my last delivery and I mentioned how I have a goal of pushing this guy out in 20 minutes. My doctor smiled and told me that if I could push out a posterior 9 pound baby in 40 minutes (Noah) then if all goes well I should be able to have this guy out in three pushes. How fantastic would that be!? Matt says I shouldn't get my hopes up but oh how nice that sounds! I also secretly hope baby comes earlier then my due date. Not much earlier, because I know he needs time to be just right. But anything after 39 weeks would be greatly appreciated!

My family has been on vacation for about a week now and I'm starting to miss my momma. We are use to talking/seeing each other every single day so It's hard when shes away for a long time. Even Noah has noticed her absence and has woken up a few mornings now asking about Nana. We've been having lots of skype visits with Grandmaman though which are enjoyable too! And we are looking forward to seeing her in a few months when she comes to visit!

Well, its been well over an hour now and the little guy is still chatting away in his crib. Perhaps it's time to check on him again. Hope everyones having a wonderful day :)

Double bump!

I just had to share this picture because it makes me smile.

That is my friend Candice and I. We've been close friends since childhood.

My due date is May 25th. Hers is May 30.

And guess what. We are BOTH having boys!

How much fun is THAT going to be?

Any bets on who will deliver first? My money is on her...

Fresh air & sunshine!

The weather has been gorgeous here in the lower mainland for the past couple of days. After the miserably wet week we had before that it was great for Noah to play outside and get some fresh air.

Saturday we went to our complex park and the slide was actually dry for once! Noah spent quite a while climbing up (on his own - my poor heart) and sliding down. So full of smiles!

This morning I let him roam around on the deck as I was feeling a little sore. He happily entertained himself out there for a good 30 minutes by dancing, pushing things around, riding on his 'choo choo' and practising stepping in and out of the house.

You may have noticed that I am trying to take more pictures. I have seriously been slacking in this department while I have been pregnant, but I need to get back into the habit of using it with the new baby coming. It'd help if I wasn't such a clean freak and could just leave it out somewhere instead of constantly putting it back in the closet in its case.
It would also help if my toddler didn't move at the speed of light and would simply STOP for a minute and look at me so I can get a picture of his adorable face. *sigh* Ah well, I am doing the best that I can.

PS - Matt and I were talking last night about the idea of going in and getting another 3D ultrasound done of face shots. It's so so tempting! It's the perfect time to get them done and I am just so eager to see this baby boy!!!